


The Spirit Element

by DanceParty, FlamingBentley



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Airbender Matt (Voltron), Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Earthbender Hunk (Voltron), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Firebender Keith (Voltron), Firebender Shiro (Voltron), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Idiots in Love, Kick, M/M, Minor Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Minor Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Mutual Pining, No Voltron Lions, Nonbender Coran (Voltron), Nonbender Pidge (Voltron), Prince Lance (Voltron), Slow Burn, Slow Burn Keith/Lance (Voltron), Waterbender Allura (Voltron), Waterbender Lance (Voltron), klance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-09-23 05:07:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 32,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17073983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanceParty/pseuds/DanceParty, https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlamingBentley/pseuds/FlamingBentley
Summary: Keith is a deserter of the Fire Nation Army, on the run from his own people ever since the higher ranking officials started making some questionable decisions. Lance is the Prince of the Northern Water Tribe, struggling to deal with the aftermath of the Fire Nation's devastating surprise attack on his homeland. Now, the two begrudging allies must go up against war, secrets, and seemingly unbeatable odds. Even more concerning, every situation that should be pushing them apart only seems to draw them closer. War they can deal with, but crushes arehard.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for pining idiots and plot twists and a whole bunch of slowburn. We've been having a lot of fun with this and it is now time to unleash it on the world! Enjoy ;)

The winds that whipped past the remainder of the Northern fleet were once again beginning to carry a slight chill, but there was still no word from the Prince. Allura stubbornly stood at the helm, gazing out at the expanse of sea in front of them with an unwavering determination. Her people, or what remained of them, needed her to portray strength. Now was not the time to hide away or lick their wounds, not while the Southern Water Tribe would surely be the next target.

It had been a little over a month now since the North had been destroyed. It was almost insulting, Allura thought bitterly, that the Fire Nation had been able to lay waste to their civilization with an attack _by sea_. Her father had said that the Fire Nation was acting strangely as of late, but no one had expected such an aggressive attack. She would not allow the same thing to happen to their Southern counterparts.

According to Coran’s intel, they had been attacked by nearly the entire force of the Fire Nation’s navy. The Fire Lord was so determined to rid the world of the Avatar, and everyone knew that they would be born as a waterbender next. It only made sense for the Fire Nation to be wary of the water tribes, if not for one glaring problem; there had been no sign of the Avatar for years. Allura had tried time and time again to bend more than just water, and had been unsuccessful every time. At this point, the Avatar was just something she was going to have to do without. What she _could_ do was protect her people, and work to stop the Fire Nation from doing to the rest of the world what they had done to the North.

They were set to reach their rendezvous point within the hour, but Allura had expected at least some form of communication from her brother confirming their plans. Lance had been away on a diplomatic mission when the North had been attacked. Allura was glad for it; as hard as it had been for her to abandon their home, she knew it would have been even worse for him. Now, Allura was taking volunteers who were willing to make a stand against the Fire Nation in the South down to help defend their sister tribe, while Lance and his most trusted contacts made arrangements for the refugees to be accepted into safe havens throughout the Earth Kingdoms.

Allura, for her part, had led her forces through the international waters on their way South, avoiding Fire Nation battleships whenever possible, but outrunning them and even engaging in a couple battles when they had no other choice. They had lost a ship in a battle, but had managed to severely damage the Fire Nation’s battleship as well, probably leaving it to sink as their fleet sped away towards the South. Hopefully, Lance wasn’t experiencing the same problems. 

If she was being honest with herself, Allura was frustrated at the time it was taking to reach the South. They had had no time to prepare for the voyage, since they had been forced to evacuate their home so quickly. She itched to get moving again every time they had to stop for supplies, or to get repairs done on a ship after a run-in with the Fire Nation. They were doing an admirable job, but she was always concerned that it just wasn’t enough.

“You’re worrying again, Princess,” Coran noted, coming up on deck to stand by Allura’s side, gazing out at the sea with her. They were quickly approaching the chain of islands where they were set to meet Lance, skirting the shore of the largest island on their way to the main harbor.

Allura sighed. She could let some of her composure drop around him, at least. “Of course I’m worried! It’s been weeks since we’ve last heard from Lance,” she told him, the waves around the ship growing a few feet taller and sending a spray of seawater into the air. Coran looked over at Allura and raised an eyebrow. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down a bit. The seas quieted as some of the tension drained from Allura’s shoulders. “I just know how he is. Under battlefield conditions, if he was faced with Fire Nation soldiers…” she hesitated.

Lance was….not a strong bender, to say the least. He often teased Allura, blaming her for taking all the power and leaving him with nothing. While Allura had spent her childhood training for battle, it had been decided that Lance was better suited for diplomacy rather than fighting. He spent much of his time traveling throughout the world, fostering alliances and building friendships with other leaders. He was gifted at what he did, but Allura knew it sometimes frustrated him that an average pebble kicked into a puddle was typically capable of moving more water than Lance.

“The Prince is resourceful,” Coran reminded her gently. “He’s had his share of run-ins with unfriendly adversaries before. Besides, he’s not alone! It’s a capable force you two have been putting together, Princess. Your father was always proud of the things you two have set into motion,” Coran smiled.

Allura had to be strong for her people, but Coran had to be strong for Allura. Though he was shaken to the core by Alfor’s recent death, it only increased his will to care for his late King’s successor. Coran had practically raised Allura and Lance, and had watched as the two rose to the challenge of serving their tribe even through this surprise attack on their homeland.  


 

After receiving word of the attack, Lance wasted no time in finding a way to fight back.He had already rounded up some of his contacts, his closest and most trusted friends, to form a task force which had been carrying out missions throughout the world. Now, they would help him handle the inevitable war ahead. 

Lance’s first go-to guy had always been Hunk, an Earthbender and longtime friend. Like Lance, he was more of a diplomat than a warrior, but Lance knew better than anyone that Hunk could pull out the big guns when he was backed into a corner. Actually, maybe their enemies that had been crushed by giant slabs of rock knew better than anyone, but still. Hunk was stronger than he looked, and he _looked_ pretty strong to start with. 

Next was Pidge, a scrappy refugee from the Air Temple and the most terrifying non-bender Lance had ever met. She was more than able to keep up with any bender in a fight, but what was truly incredible about her was how resourceful she could be. One of her favorite hobbies was getting Hunk to fabricate various stone components for her so the two could assemble them all into working pieces of machinery. Half-working, if Lance was being honest, though he’d never point that out in front of her. She always had something new that she was _“just testing out,”_ ranging from silly little games to weapons that would give her an extra edge in battle. Lance had never known anyone so innovative, except for maybe Pidge’s older brother. 

Matt was an Airbender with ties to underground rebel forces throughout the world. He was the hardest to get ahold of, but always came through for them when they needed a bit more backup, and was nearly as protective of Pidge as Allura was of Lance. The two together were an unstoppable force of creative chaos.

Lance tried to steadfastly ignore the fact that both his father and sister would most likely want to keep his little team from going into battle, he knew he would need to be prepared. He wouldn’t spend this war hiding from danger on only diplomatic missions, or simply escorting people or goods from one stronghold to another. They were strong enough to deal with Fire Nation forces, despite what Allura might think. To do anything less felt like they were skirting around the problem rather than addressing it. He knew Hunk would always advocate for not getting into fights if they could avoid them, as long as their mission objectives had been completed successfully, but Lance’s heart still sunk a little bit at the thought of giving up a fight he had never even started. This was his chance to finally prove himself.

It was useful that most of the Earth Kingdom now thought very highly of the Prince, but Lance still felt like this mission had kept him from the front lines when his home had needed him most. He knew he wasn’t the best waterbender, but Pidge was all the proof he needed that he could still be a formidable fighter without it. Besides, he had been working on his bending. And yes, maybe he was only good for a couple shots, but he didn’t need to be Allura with her giant rogue waves and pillars of ice when _precision_ could work, too. Lance maintained that if he had received proper training the way Allura had, he’d be much better by now. While he had his bitter moments about this, he had to admit that his upbringing and skillset had put him in a good position for the war, and he loved leading his little task force. Still, he could never get over the feeling that they hadn’t reached their full potential yet. He was still waiting for their big moment, their time to shine.

For example, their shining moment was probably _not_ the chaos that broke out on Allura’s flagship when the upper deck was suddenly bombarded by a cascade of dirt and rock that sent pebbles scattering across the deck and a cloud of fine dirt particles into the air, with a resounding crash that echoed over the water. 

Allura instantly snapped into battle mode, a thick coil of water shimmering in the air in front of her, ready to attack as the dust settled. Her forces followed her lead, going to the edges of the ship and looking suspiciously at the cliffs along the starboard side to see where the attack had come from, while others circled around to see what exactly this projectile was. There was some loud coughing, and Allura groaned and let the water hit the deck at the sight of her brother dusting himself off ostentatiously.

“Alright, stuck the landing!” he declared cheerfully, shooting a wink at one of the several waterbenders who had been poised to attack, and receiving an unamused sigh in return. It may have been more effective if he weren’t covered in dirt from head to toe, he reasoned to himself, because that had been one hell of an entrance. The waterbenders relaxed and dropped their guard once again when they saw that it wasn’t a real attack, just their Prince’s antics.

“Lance! What was that supposed to be? You’re lucky we didn’t attack you on sight!” Allura scolded him as Lance offered Hunk a hand and helped pull him to his feet. Hunk made a gesture with his hand, causing all the dirt that had been on himself and Lance to disperse and fall to the ground by their feet. 

“Why would you attack? I don’t see any fire anywhere!” Lance said defensively. “Besides, you knew we were meeting up here! You should’ve been expecting me!”

“I was _expecting_ you to wait until we were docked and then come aboard like a _normal person,_ ” Allura told him, exasperated. “Hello, Hunk, it’s good to see you,” she added, turning her attention to the other and letting her tone soften slightly. 

Hunk gave her a shy wave. “Hey, Princess,” he said, moderately concerned that she was in one of her _moods._ “We were just trying to, ah, speed up the process.”

“We were trying out one of Pidge and Hunk’s new designs,” Lance told her with a grin. Allura looked at Lance, then at the mound of dirt and rock on her ship, then back at Lance. She frowned and raised an eyebrow, looking thoroughly unimpressed. “Well it’s not _always_ a rock pile!” Lance added defensively. “It was a prototype, anyway…”

“A prototype of what, may I ask?” Allura questioned, hands on her hips. 

“It _was_ a cart powered by earthbending, until Lance drove it off a cliff,” Hunk murmured, pouting at his friend. 

Lance sighed and rolled his eyes. “I was aiming for the ship, and we’re on the ship!” he pointed out. “Now you don’t even have to stop! We can just go straight to the South Pole, meet Pidge and Matt, and mess with any firebenders who are trying to invade. You’re welcome.”

Allura decided to drop it, just sighing as she went back to the helm. Coran cheerfully came over to greet Lance and Hunk, who were happy to report the success of their mission. The Holt siblings were still set to meet up with them, and Matt had promised to bring along help, as well. They all knew that they were sailing into a war zone as Allura set their course due South. Admittedly, they were counting on the Fire Nation underestimating the Southern Water Tribe and not sending their full forces, as they had done to the North. It was a gamble, but it had to be done. 

Lance joined his sister at the helm after a while, and she looked over at him and gave him a small smile. “You’re impossible,” she told him, no bite to her words. “It’s good to have you back. You worried me.” She gave him a hug, which he returned with a grin. He knew her well enough to hear the apology hidden in her words.

“It’s all part of my charm,” he insisted. “So...one week, you think?” he estimated. Allura gave him a curt nod. “We’ll beat them,” he promised quietly.  
“Beat them there, or beat them in battle?” Allura questioned, her voice tense with worry.

“What kind of question is that? Obviously both,” Lance said with bravado. He bumped his shoulder against hers. “I know you, if you’re not waterbending to move the ship, it means you must be too worn out to do it. Get some sleep, I’ll look after the fleet,” he promised her. 

She looked like she was going to argue, but sighed when she realized that her brother was right. “Very well.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “Good work, Lance. Father would be proud.” With that, she saw herself to her quarters for a well deserved rest. 

Lance tried to push her words out of his mind. He wasn’t ready yet, to think of his father in the past tense. What he _was_ ready to do was press on. He didn’t know exactly how they were going to pull it off, but he knew one thing with certainty; the South would not fall. 

 

. . .

 

Keith was used to roughing it, but this time he had to admit, he was wildly out of his element. Literally. As he struggled with a tangle of ropes, the salt-laden wind whipped through the sails of the pathetically small ship he and Shiro managed to acquire, propelling them Southeast at an alarming rate. His hair, dampened with saltwater and sticking to his face uncomfortably, obscured his vision and pushed him even further toward the edge of his patience. 

“We’re moving too far South! Shiro, I can’t get these ropes untied and we’re moving off course!” he exclaimed finally. He dropped the ropes to tangle his hands through the mop on his head, combing it away from his face haphazardly. Shiro gave him a pointed look.

“Let’s not get frustrated, Keith. Remember, patience-”

“Patience yields focus, I know. I know! I just-” Keith took an exasperated breath, looking at the mess of ropes he’d created with dismay. His specialty was the wildernesses of his homeland. The volcanic mountainside, or stark grassy plains that stretched on for miles. He and Shiro had been doing far better before they had to board this ship, back when they were hiding out in the uninhabitable pockets of the Fire Nation’s countryside. But now, facing frigid ocean waters and equally unyielding sea winds- “I have no idea what I’m doing, Shiro.”

Shiro was also not a sailor. Well, in his current state, he wasn’t much of anything. His burns were still healing, and the salt water soaking into the bandages covering what was left of his arm and face was near excruciating. Still, he pressed on, determined to stay calm for Keith’s sake. He scanned the horizon, which was still nothing but ocean meeting sky in every direction. They were meant to sail to the Earth Kingdom city of Gehode, where he knew vaguely of a large refugee camp that may be welcoming enough to accept Firebenders. If not, well, they’d have to think on their feet like always. As long as they kept moving away from the Fire Nation’s territory, it didn’t matter much where they ended up. 

“Start by untangling yourself from that pile, then we’ll worry about our trajectory,” he said. Keith sighed and settled to the deck, quickly setting to work on freeing his feet from the knots he’d created. After a moment, Shiro joined him on the boards, using his good arm to help.

“I’ve made this mess, you don’t have to help,” Keith mumbled. Shiro shook his head, chuckling softly.

“How did you do this?” Shiro had known Keith for a long time. They’d grown up together as close as brothers. When he’d joined the Fire Nation’s army, Keith followed him and was one of the most skilled fighters there. He had a natural talent for fire-bending, coupled with a hardened dedication to his training, which pushed his skills far above his peers. But Shiro knew that the one thing Keith wasn’t good at was being bad at things, which was clear by his wild and disgruntled expression. 

“I am not a sailor.”

Sympathetically, Shiro put a firm hand on Keith’s shoulder, “You’re doing just fine.”

“Shiro, I don’t-” 

“Hold that thought,” Shiro cut in suddenly. A faint humming sound came from somewhere in the distance, but was growing louder by the moment. Both Shiro and Keith shot to their feet, eyes locking on some kind of small watercraft as it moved unsteadily towards theirs.

They could make out two figures on the strange craft, and one was definitely an air-bender, as he seemed to be using his bending to propel them forward at an alarmingly fast rate. Shiro stiffened, unsure of how they had managed to get so close so quickly, as he had just scanned their surroundings minutes before. He sensed Keith getting into a battle position at his side and instinctively reached over to push him back.

“Keep it cool,” he said as the others arrived to their ship.

Calling the thing that approached the wayward Firebenders a boat would be a far stretch of the imagination. It was shaped more like a raft, wide and square with shallow sides. The taller of the two figures stood at the center, grasping the mast. He was bending air into a duct that powered four large fans affixed to the bottom, which actually kept the craft hovering a few inches off the water’s surface. As they pulled up beside Keith and Shiro’s boat, however, the whole thing dropped into the water with an ungraceful splash.

“Woah! Alright, we still have to work on that landing. I said slowly taper off the air, Matt,” the smaller of the two said. She sat towards the back of the craft, strapped in and surrounded by a dozen or so levers jutting up through the subfloor.

Keith, unable to contain himself anymore, lit his hands in preparation for attack. It caught the Air Nomad’s attention. Matt brought his hands up in a gesture of peace.

“Hey, hey...no need for that,” he said.

“What do you want from us?” Keith replied. He dulled his flames but still left his hands smoldering and ready. He glanced at Shiro for backup, but his companion was just standing there with a wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression that threw Keith off.

“Matt?” Shiro said quietly. “Matthew Holt?”

Matt turned his attention to Shiro, squinting at him in half-recognition. “That’s me. Do I...do I know you?”

Shiro stepped forward eagerly, “It’s me, Takashi.”

“Curtains?” Recognition flooded Matt’s features and he lifted himself from his boat effortlessly with a little rush of air, landing in front of Shiro. He put his arms on Shiro’s shoulders, a stunned smile on his face as he inspected him closer.

“I thought we agreed you would stop calling me that.” Shiro smiled, pulling Matt into a hug. Matt wound his arms tightly around Shiro as Keith and Pidge exchanged confused glances.

“Curtains?” Pidge chimed in. Matt broke their embrace to turn to her excitedly.

“Pidge, remember when I was studying abroad while Dad worked on Fire Nation tech?”

“Oh, this is Shiro?” she responded. Matt nodded, beaming.

“We’re basically at long-lost lover status by now, huh?”

Keith finally put out his flames, looking thoroughly confused and a little frustrated, “What is going on?”

“Yeah, I mean..isn’t this the friend that ended up becoming...you know, a general in the Fire Nation Army?” Pidge added. She looked at the two Firebenders critically, but they didn’t really seem like threats. Shiro, though strong and broad, kind of looked like he’d been chewed up and spit out. He was covered in bloodied bandages underneath his Fire Nation garb, and even some on his face and neck. He also had a deep gash stretching across the bridge of his nose, which was still scabbed over and badly bruised where she assumed his nose was broken. Not to mention, he was missing the lower half of his right arm. And the smaller one, who stood defensively at Shiro’s side, looked scrappy and wild, like he hadn’t really slept in weeks. Although he seemed eager for a fight, Pidge would bet that Matt could push him over in one well-directed gust. Still, they were Fire Nation.

“Yeah, he did. But...Shiro, what _are_ you doing out here?” Matt turned back to his friend, “You don’t...look so great. To be honest, I could barely recognize you.”

“You mean you didn’t get my letter?” Shiro asked. He had sent a coded letter to the Air Temple weeks before they left for Gehode, hoping that by some miracle the Holt family would find them eventually. The Holts were, Shiro had been guessing, the only non-Fire Nation people in the world who would take them in if the Earth Kingdom turned them away. “What are you doing here, then?”

The Holts exchanged quick glances. Then, Matt cleared his throat, “We were just, uh, meeting someone in the Southern water tribe, but we saw your boat. We thought you were some refugees so we came to help but...what are the chances, right? I’m just going to guess, or maybe hope? I’m just going to hope you aren’t on Fire Nation business, are you?”

“No, we are actually refugees now. As you can see-” Shiro gestured to himself, “there have been some...differences in opinion between myself and the Fire Nation. We’re on our way to Gehode. Oh, and this is Keith.”

Keith perked up at his name, and tried to make himself appear less hostile. He slackened his shoulders and took a step back, crossing his arms over his chest. He even tried to smile a little, but he was pretty sure it looked more like a grimace than anything. Matt gave him a tentative little wave.

“Well, after the Fire Nation attack on the North, I doubt they’ll let firebenders into Gehode,” Matt said. He turned to his sister again, waiting for her to speak up. He and Pidge spent so much time together, they could pretty much read each other’s minds at this point. So she spoke next, knowing what Matt wanted to say.

“But we could help you out,” she finished.

Shiro knew his choice was clear. If they could even make it the rest of the way to the Earth Kingdom in this miserable fishing boat, he now knew with better certainty that the Earth Kingdom wouldn’t take them. Really, he had known it was futile this entire time, but hearing it from someone else really nailed the coffin shut on the matter. Wherever the Holts were going had to be a better option than being homeless and persecuted across the Earth Kingdom’s harsh deserts and mountain ranges. He knew Keith would argue the latter, but glancing at his traveling companion, standing there wet and ravaged by the sea, there were limits to everyone’s survival and Shiro’s wounds were holding them both back.

“We would appreciate that. Thank you.”

Matt nodded, “Like I said, we’re headed South to meet up with the rest of our...group. I’m sure they will know how to help you out once we get there. Here, climb aboard and we’ll get moving!”

Keith said nothing as they moved their few belongings into the Air Nomad’s craft and boarded. The wooden thing creaked violently as it lurched alive by the pull of several levers. Matt took his position back at the center.

“Alright, hold on to something!” he shouted over the sound of the fans churning the water underneath. He pumped a steady stream of air into a vent on the floor, which sucked it in greedily. Keith and Shiro went down in unison, hurriedly grabbing at whatever they could find. Then, Pidge pulled hard on two levers, the fans pivoted their positions, and the craft jolted ahead faster than the Firebenders thought possible.

They skimmed the surface of the water with surprising ease. Keith huddled in on himself, squeezing his eyes shut from the sea spray as waves crashed into them violently. Instead, he focused on his heartbeat. He took long, slow breaths and held them until he felt a little dizzy, then let them out in a shuddering gasp. Shiro was too distracted to notice, so now was the perfect time to let loose a little panic. Keith could manage to survive out on his own. He could manage the weather and changing seasons. He knew how to find shelter and hunt. Even with the added struggle of taking care of Shiro, they had managed just fine so far. He had imagined that that was how the rest of their life would go once they’d left the Fire Nation. They were going to be refugees, wandering the countryside, working the land and roughing it in the great expanses of unclaimed territory between Earth Kingdom cities. Keith could do that, easy. What he wasn’t good at, however, was dealing with _people_.

He managed a glance back at Matt, who stood with his feet firmly planted to the ground, his arms arching in great windmills to generate enough air to propel them. Keith could tell that Matt was a powerful bender. Shiro trusted him as an ally, but Keith’s creeping paranoia kept him guarded. And Pidge, although small and unassuming, looked like the calculating type. Chances were, she wanted others to underestimate her. Keith knew the strategy well because he used it himself.

Keith was just starting to adjust into a more comfortable sitting position when they hit a wave that rocked the craft violently and sent him flinging backward. His head knocked the planks below hard enough to bring bright bursts of light just behind his eyelids. Shiro called out to him, worried but unable to move out of fear of losing his hold on his seat. Instead of shouting, Keith just waved his arm in the air, the other clutching at the back of his head. He decided to just stay there on the floor, staring up at the bright, cold sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please follow us on Tumblr, we would love to hear from you!
> 
>  
> 
> [DanceParty's Tumblr](https://senpaiinspace.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  
> 
> [FlamingBentley's Tumblr](http://fangirlwithanerfgun.tumblr.com/)


	2. Chapter 2

By the time they reached the Southern Water tribe, Shiro and Keith were quietly shivering from the bitterly cold winds. The day was nearly over, and the sun glinted vibrant pinks and oranges across the wide expanses of white. If Keith weren’t so damn cold, he would be in awe at the alien landscape before him. The Fire Nation’s somewhat tropical climates had never seen snow like this, and he’d never left his homeland until now. In fact, he’d only ever seen snowfall once in his life. But now...it covered everything.

But Keith barely had time to take it in, because a sudden explosion over the hill sent Matt and Pidge running frantically towards its source. Shiro, and lastly Keith, trudged after them through the knee-high drifts. If the firebenders weren’t cold enough before, they were now, as the snow clung to their lightweight, billowy harem pants.

The group crested the hill to discover a Fire Nation warship pouring out its fleet of eager soldiers upon a small Water Tribe outpost. The warship’s steel hull bit deeply into the icy shoreline, looking almost as if it had run aground in the shallow gulf. The explosion was a massive fireball, which hit the now crumbling outpost tower as waterbenders fled. The firebenders took formation quickly, standing battle ready.

“We have to help them!” Pidge shouted as she barrelled down the hill. Matt was quick on her heels, but the firebenders hesitated behind them. Keith, a flame first, think later type of person, didn’t take long to make up his mind and begin his descent after Matt. Behind him, he heard Shiro calling.

“Keith, wait! I can’t fight!”

He glanced back at his former leader, feeling a sharp twist in his chest. Seeing Shiro look so helpless, after knowing him for so long as a strong and fearless leader, was heartbreaking.

“Then stay here!” Keith shouted. He had already caught up with the Air Nomads. He felt his limbs push him powerfully towards the fight as he sprinted down the hill. A familiar burning thrill coursed through him as he anticipated the battle. For the first time in months, he was feeling _alive_. Keith was built for fighting, everything in him honed and trained to near-perfection.

He wasn’t the least intimidated by the careful formation the Fire Nation soldiers took, he knew their battle tactics all too well. Before he realized where his mind was taking him, he was in the middle of his trained sequences already, bending in wide arches to break up the lines. He had already downed one enemy, and no other had come close enough yet to challenge him.

Tactically, he knew he had the advantage of surprise, so he intended to utilize that as much as possible. The enemy had not prepared to fight other firebenders, and the commotion was breaking their ranks easily. Keith smirked to himself as he crouched low to avoid a fiery blow that came for his face. He responded with a low whip of fire to his opponent's knees.

He sensed another soldier on the flank and quickly turned his attention before they had a chance to find a stance. Keith flipped in the air, feeling his feet connect with armor. That was two down.

He didn’t feel the cold anymore, completely drowned by his thudding heartbeat and scorching flames. He delighted himself with fighting his fellow benders, and it reminded him of his sparring drills. He had always ended up on top, quite the prodigy. Forgot survival skills, _this_ is what Keith was best at. And he felt good at it, too.

The warm feeling in his chest subsided quickly, however, upon spotting Shiro far off to his left. Keith had been so engrossed in the fighting he hadn’t even noticed who was fighting alongside him. He felt dread spike in his chest at the sight of Shiro, grimacing as he fought primarily through kicks and one-handed flips.

Keith was weaving through the chaos suddenly. He noticed a handful of other benders then. Matt and Pidge were farther back, trying to push the Fire Nation away from the tribe buildings. A number of Water Tribe members were scattered throughout the fray too. He caught a glimpse of a woman taking on a small group of her own, using ice to trap her enemies. Her white hair was in stark contrast to her dark skin, and Keith was immediately impressed at her very apparent fighting skill.

“ _That must be their leader,_ ” he thought, just before he was greeted to a faceful of snow.

He twisted around frantically to be nose-to-nose with bright blue eyes and tanned skin. The Water Tribe boy stared back at him, stunned and wide-eyed.

“Get off” Keith gritted through his teeth. But before the other was able to react, Keith saw a flash of fire from behind them. Instinctively, he grabbed the other’s shoulders and bucked his hips, rolling them out of the way just in time.

Keith was enveloped in a sweet-smelling and distinctly clean fragrance as he crashed bodily into the Water Tribe boy. He heard the other’s alarmed cry as they tumbled through the snow. His heartbeat went into overdrive from the adrenaline, coupled with something far more embarrassing. He hadn’t realized until he was now entirely tangled with this stranger, just how long it had been since he’d had actual contact with another person. Wherever their bodies touched felt warm and strange. The circumstance wasn’t really ideal, but still, as he leapt to his feet to face the attacker, he felt a strange emptiness at the loss.

Brushing that aside, he lunged forward, narrowly avoiding another burst of flames. He brought his hand back as he leapt into the air, using his momentum to guide a fiery punch down at his attacker. As his hand connected painfully with the soldier’s chest-plate, he remembered Shiro telling him over and over again not to be so reckless.

His wrist just might be broken, but he would have time to figure that out later. Right now, his enemy was prone and he needed to make it over to Shiro before it was too late.

Shiro could feel the wounds on his chest and sides splitting as he maneuvered the battlefield. He funneled all of his focus on his movements instead of pain, learning as he went how to modify his practiced tactic to work with only one arm. Since this was his first fight since his incident, it was going as well as he could expect. He wasn’t dead yet, at least. But there was yet another disadvantage that had surfaced for him and the realization was quickly filling him with dread.

His fire was out.

He had heard of this happening to injured soldiers and old veterans, losing their firebending as a result of trauma. He had suspected it could be the case for him, though he hadn’t really tried to bend until now. Before, he had Keith to bend for him, just not on the battlefield. But Shiro was strong; if he had survived his wounds so far he would survive this too.

Adapting to this new development, he used his surroundings to his advantage. He kicked snow in soldiers faces or used nearby enemies to body block blows. He barely noticed when Keith appeared beside him, flanking for him with the kind of reckless grace that was his trademark. Whenever their eyes met, Keith’s expression was grave with worry, but Shiro kept fighting. He must’ve looked rough, but the support of another firebender fueled him.

It was almost over now, the enemy ranks had been thoroughly dispersed. Most were sprawled out in the snow. Some in the back lines were retreating back to their warship, and it occurred to Shiro that they shouldn’t let any escape if they wanted to stay hidden. Keith must’ve had the same thought, because suddenly both firebenders were sprinting towards the ship. Shiro didn’t have a plan, but his general instinct kicked in and before he knew it he was shouting over his shoulder to anyone who might listen:

“We can’t let them retreat!” 

He watched Keith slip ahead, being the faster and more agile between them. He took stock of the allies nearby, who were just starting to follow his lead. He finally laid eyes on the Fire Nation General, standing near the base of the warship’s enormous ramp. He saw Keith making a beeline for him, so he hurried to catch up.

At this point, the retreating soldiers were giving Keith a large girth as he ran headlong towards the ship. His eyes were locked on his target, and as he approached he lunged in the air, flames amassing in his palms. He let out a loud cry as he landed in front of the Fire Nation General, quickly following through with a flurry of blows. 

Unfortunately, the General matched him easily. It didn’t take long before Keith was pushed prone by a forceful kick, and the General loomed over him now.

“You. I know of you.” he sneered, “You’re the scoundrel who ran off with our traitor.”

Keith didn’t respond. His eyes scanned his surroundings rapidly, his muscles tense and ready to spring at the first opportunity. At this point, a small crowd of allies had gathered nearby, but no one came close. Some of the Fire Nation soldiers had already escaped into the ship, but the rest were being kept at bay. He noticed Shiro in the crowd, looking bloodied and stern.

“And there he is, the infamous **_Shirogane_** ,” the General continued, “Well, I’m just delighted that I will be the one to return you both to the Fire Lord for your treason.”

“You’re outnumbered! You aren’t going anywhere!” Keith shouted. But the General just smiled.

“Well then, it appears there will be no need for a trial, I will just have to kill you myself!” 

Keith saw the General’s expression spark as he prepared to make his killing blow. He knew he had to act fast.

“Keith!” He heard Shiro’s voice and turned his attention that way as Shiro tossed him a long wooden staff. He rolled, caught the staff, and held it out in front of himself with two arms outstretched.

He could feel his fire heating in his chest like a furnace. He directed its focus to his feet, and in the same moment that he pushed himself from the ground, a burst of flames propelled him forward. He met the General’s charged attack head-on, crashing into him as the fireball erupted between them.

Keith felt the singe on his clothing, his chest, his arms. The flames licked at his skin, but it was a familiar pain and didn’t deter him from the attack. His propulsion was enough to push the general onto his back. Then, he used the staff to push off and continued his momentum as he hurdled head over heels, summer-saulting to his feet.

Within seconds, Shiro was standing over the General, battle ready. Keith recovered from his flip and tossed the staff back at Shiro, who caught it with ease. They had him surrounded now, and it would be a 2 on 1 battle that the General was sure to lose.

They waited as the man got to his feet, tensed and ready to attack. But just then, the Water Tribe woman with the striking white hair burst through the crowd.

“Enough!” she screamed as she thrust her arms outward. The General was suddenly encapsulated in ice. She didn’t stop there.

The crowd, Shiro and Keith included, watched in awe as she inhaled deeply and drew her arms towards herself. The tides around the ship followed her gesture, rising up around the Fire Nation’s warship. Then she let out a cry and pushed forwards, and the waters crashed against the ship and turned to ice in a great cacophony of sound.

As she lowered her arms, she let out a long exhale. Then, her sharp, crystalline blue eyes locked on to Shiro. He dropped the staff immediately. Even Keith, whose temper was near impossible to tame, put up his arms in surrender.

From behind her, the same Water Tribe boy from before stood watching the firebender pair with narrowed eyes. He was first to break the silence that had fallen over them all with a very eloquent:

“What. the. Quiznack?”

 

.   .   .

 

It was a delicate situation, to say the least. While Allura’s waterbenders were taking out the last straggling firebenders, several of them eyed Keith and Shiro suspiciously. They watched with the hesitation of a person in a crowd who knows that someone should _probably_ take action, but who was also hoping desperately that someone would be anyone other than them. Shiro was clearly in a position of surrender and looking pretty beat up in the first place. Keith, however, still had the light of battle in his eyes, even if his fists were no longer flaming. His breath was still heavy, starkly visible in the chilled air, but he looked hardly concerned about the cold. He was clearly still ready to fight, and that put nearly everyone around him on edge. 

Except for Matt, who was entirely unaffected.

“Princess! Nice to see you,” he said, giving her an enthusiastic salute as Pidge offered a nervous smile and a little wave. She didn’t particularly like dealing with Allura when she looked quite so wrathful. 

“Still into creating gigantic icebergs, I see,” Pidge commented anyway, taking her brother’s lead and trying to talk Allura down a bit.

Matt nodded thoughtfully. “Nice touch, nice touch...thanks for leaving it until the end to let the rest of us in on some action first,” he teased with a cheeky smile. “Anyway, reporting as promised! There’s some good news, some bad news, but we’ve helped some refugees, organized some rebels...even brought us some people!” he added proudly, holding out his arms towards the firebenders as if presenting them. Keith attempted not to look annoyed at being referred to like an item on a shopping list, but he got the feeling that Shiro was used to the Airbender’s needless peppiness and informality.

“You’ve _brought_ us firebenders!” Lance exclaimed, gesturing to Keith and Shiro wildly. “He _sabotaged_ me!” he insisted, pointing accusingly at Keith.

Keith immediately snapped to attention, glaring back at Lance. “What? You crash into me in the middle of a battle and suddenly _I_ sabotaged _you_?” Keith demanded, his voice going up an octave without his permission. “I was fighting on your side! I attacked the General!”

“With _fire,_ ” Lance pointed out.

“I’m a firebender! What did you want me to do, throw snowballs?” Keith demanded, clenching his fists and using more willpower than he would have liked in order to stop them from erupting into flames. 

“You. I’ve heard of you. He called you Shirogane, yes?” Allura asked Shiro, ignoring the other two. Her eyes narrowed. “You were a General in the Fire Nation Army.”

Shiro looked down, a sadness in his eyes. “Yes,” he admitted, “I was. It was a position I held back when I still believed in the Fire Nation...before I realized how wrong I was,” he admitted quietly. “I left. _Not_ on good terms,” he told Allura, meeting her eye with a gaze that held nothing but sincerity. “They think I’m dead, and if we don’t keep it that way, they will hunt me down and make _sure_ of it. Keith and I are refugees from the Fire Nation like countless others...and we already know all too well that nowhere is likely to take us in.”

“Are you asking for safe passage, or for a new place to settle down?” Allura asked, still looking at him critically, “because it’s quite likely that I will provide you with neither.”

Keith stepped between Allura and Shiro then, ready to argue or even fight this Princess if necessary, but Matt knocked him aside before he even got a word in.

“Okay! Fun talk!” Matt said, stepping up to place a hand on Allura’s shoulder. “Princess, if I might have a word…” he said, shooting an apologetic look over his shoulder to Shiro. The harshness in her gaze subsided a bit as she turned her attention to Matt, but she still didn’t seem convinced that everything was quite as alright as the Airbender seemed to want it to be. “These are old friends of mine,” Matt told her, knowing it was better to just lump Keith in with Shiro, for Keith’s own good. “Yes, they’re firebenders. But not so long ago, we didn’t immediately think of firebenders as the enemy...and we still don’t have to!”

“They _decimated_ my _home,_ they-” Allura began, fury in her eyes.

“No, _they_ did not,” Matt cut her off, drawing himself up to his full height, his words clipped and firm. “ _They_ -” he gestured to Keith and Shiro, “-were on the run long before the attack. _They_ played absolutely no part in. And might I remind you, ignoring these two completely, some of my best contacts, the ones who are risking _everything_ for us, are Fire Nation!”

Allura’s jaw was clenched tight, arms crossed tightly over her chest. “I would prefer to speak to you in private,” she told Matt coldly. “Pidge, head into the village and find Hunk. He’s working with the civilians to fortify their defenses and tend to the wounded from the battle. Lance, keep an eye on our... _guests._ And Matthew, you come with me.”  
“Heh. You got Matthew’d,” Pidge teased Matt, giving the Princess a salute before heading to the village, a little extra bounce in her step at the knowledge that Hunk was there too.

Lance was less pleased with his assignment, but refrained from arguing in favor of pouting quietly as Matt followed Allura back to her ship. As soon as the group started to disperse, Shiro sat down on the ground, tired from the fight. He was already too injured to have been fighting in the first place, and all that movement had definitely done him no favors. Keith was by his side as soon as he sat down, a small flame in his hand as he tried to help him get warm. Now that the heat of battle was over, the cold was quickly creeping back in.

Lance watched Keith and Shiro. “So...you guys left the Fire Nation Army?” he asked, deciding to make conversation when he felt the uneasy tension that passed between the two.

“I guess you could say we _sabotaged_ them,” Keith told Lance crossly, not looking up. Lance rolled his eyes.

“Oh, let it go, Mullet! Look, I didn’t mean that I think you’re still on their side or whatever. You just got in the way of my awesome battle moves,” Lance insisted. 

Keith’s head snapped up to glare at him, the fire in his palm flaring with his anger. “Is this a joke to you? This isn’t about _glory in battle_! The Princess is trying to decide if we have to be kicked out to die in all this stupid snow and you’re trying to accuse us of things! That’s not the sort of thing you just _let go_ ,” Keith retorted, ignoring Shiro’s sigh.

“Keith…” Shiro said patiently.

“No! You know I’m right! This is a bad enough situation as it is, and we risk our lives in that battle for them, against the _General,_ and he’s still trying to get her to throw us out!”

Shiro opened his mouth to try to get Keith to calm down, but it was Lance who spoke first. 

“Hey! Look, I’m not seriously trying to get you guys in trouble! I don’t know what you’re doing out here or anything, but...yeah, you were on the right side of things. And I can tell that it was genuine, not just for show or anything. So...if Allura asks, it’ll be my vote to give you a chance,” Lance told them, giving them a shrug. That seemed to quell Keith’s anger a bit, but the boy just turned his attention back to Shiro rather than answering him. He didn’t have time to be arguing right now. He sat down beside Shiro and hugged his knees to his chest, shivering at the cold. 

Lance felt a bit of sympathy now. They looked like countless refugees he and his friends had helped before, on the run from the Fire Nation and unsure where they were going to go and who would help them. Lance knew he couldn’t just let them freeze. A bit of the tension drained from his shoulders, and arguing with Keith suddenly seemed like the last thing he should be doing right now

“Follow me, we don’t have to be out here right on the water. I’ll show you where visitors make camp,” he told them, voice noticeably softer. It wasn’t up to him to decide if they were allowed within the walls of the city, but he could at least get them off the battlefield and help them keep warm.

 

.   . .

  
It was a kind of stupid move for the Water Tribe boy to leave them if there was still a debate as to if they should be trusted, Keith thought absently to himself, but he was happy to have a moment alone as they waited for him to return with new, less soggy clothes. They were in an area that was sheltered from the wind, up against one of the outer walls of the village. A small structure stood nearby, where Keith would expect a guard to be stationed if the village were running normally. Today, however, it was empty, leaving Keith and Shiro alone out here. He wasn’t sure if that was a subtle display of trust that the two wouldn’t do anything unsavory, or more just an indication of how desperately they needed the waterbenders’ help.

Shiro had gone quiet, which Keith knew meant that his injuries were aching and he was trying to tune out and ignore it. Keith busied himself with trying to build a fire, an endeavor that wasn’t working nearly as well as he had hoped for. He had flattened a patch of snow and formed a circle of rocks around a rather sad looking pile of twigs he had managed to dig up from the snow. So far all he was doing was creating a large amount of smoke and twigs that were somehow simultaneously soggy, yet becoming black with char. 

Building fires in the snow was almost as bad as sailing.

Keith looked up when he heard the crunch of footsteps approaching in the snow, finding himself strangely relieved to see the Water Tribe boy returning.

“Alright, I grabbed my bag, I’m pretty sure I have enough extra stuff for both of you,” Lance said, dropping the bag into the snow and then sitting down beside it. He began to open it, but then paused when he saw Keith’s attempt at a fire pit.

“Are you, uh...trying to build a fire?” he asked, trying to hide the amusement in his voice.

Keith glared at him. “I’m making a fire, yes,” he said tersely, immediately regretting being glad to see the other.

Lance huffed a laugh. “Not like that, you’re not. Here, let me-”

“I’m a _firebender_ ,” I know how to make fire!” Keith insisted impatiently, snatching away the stick Lance had tried to grab.

“Mm. Alright, then. Carry on,” Lance said, now smirking as he sat back to watch. 

Keith’s glare intensified, but he tried yet again to light his kindling, and, yet again, everything refused to catch. Lance just watched with enjoyment as Keith tried several more times. Keith was at least glad that the stupid cold made his face red by default, so the other wouldn’t be able to see the embarrassed flush that was quickly covering his face. He looked over, hating the smug expression that the other was wearing. After a while, Lance got up and returned, handing Keith a large, flat rock. Keith took it, but raised an eyebrow at him. 

“I’m helping,” Lance insisted. Keith didn’t look convinced. Lance sighed and pulled off the mittens he had been wearing, dropping them to the snow beside him when he decided that he was going to have to teach Keith without being asked. “You don’t have to be too stubborn to ask for it, you know,” he added as he reached to take the rock back. His fingers accidentally brushed against Keith’s, whose gaze snapped up to meet his immediately as he dropped the rock with surprise. Lance let out a laugh as the rock fell to crush the kindling, his warm gaze meeting Keith’s. 

“Dude, your hands are freezing,” he said, reaching out to take Keith’s hands between his own. Keith looked away, attempting to ignore the amused glance that Shiro was sending his way. He didn’t need this boy’s pity, or Shiro’s teasing, or the stupid hornet-moths that fluttered in his stomach at this boy’s touch. He focused his power and allowed his hands to warm up, not _quite_ on fire, but getting close. 

“Ow!” Lance exclaimed, pulling his hands away as Keith snorted a laugh. “No fair, I was being nice!” Lance pouted, pointing accusingly at him. 

“You’re being brave, if you think you’re allowed to hold hands with Keith,” Shiro laughed from where he was leaning against the village’s wall. 

“We weren’t _holding hands,_ we were practicing important frostbite prevention techniques!” Lance insisted, blushing a bit.

“Practicing frostbite prevention techniques with a boy who doesn’t even know your name,” Keith murmured to himself as he poked at the sad collection of moist sticks once more. 

Lance’s eyes widened as he looked over at the other. “I...really did forget that, didn’t I?” he asked, face going pink. “Everyone just knows me where I’m from, I kinda forget that I need to introduce myself sometimes,” he laughed a bit nervously. “Name’s Lance,” he said, shooting the other a grin, “And...this is the part where I’d try to shake hands, if I didn’t have it on good authority that you tend to like to _burn them._ ”

Keith snorted a laugh. “Just show me how to make the fire.” He hated admitting that he wasn’t good at things, and a Firebender being shown how to build fire was just humiliating. Somehow, though, the easy banter with this boy, _Lance,_ Keith reminded himself, made it easier to ask him for it. 

Lance seemed to count it as a personal victory that Keith had finally admitted to needing his help. He just smiled at the other and showed him how to set up the kindling on the flat rock, stopping it from touching the snow, which would immediately turn to water just to extinguish the fire. 

“Alright, your time to shine,” he told Keith when he had the base set up. Keith just huffed and reached out to light it, just a little flame coming from the tip of his finger. Within no time, they had a small fire going, Lance feeding it with a few larger logs he had grabbed from the village. 

“See? All you needed was a little expert advice,” Lance told him, letting a bit of fond amusement sneak into his voice. “You haven’t really had to deal with snow before, have you?” he asked.

“I haven’t ever even seen it before,” Keith confirmed. “It doesn’t snow in the Fire Nation, and I’ve never visited anywhere else. I might think it was pretty if it weren’t cold and wet and annoying,” he decided as he gazed into the flames of the fire. 

Lance laughed and shook his head. “Well here. Now that the fire’s going, take this,” he said, handing his bag to Keith. “Help yourself!”

Keith stepped out of the guard building a while later, feeling infinitely better now that he actually had sleeves. He had insisted that Shiro go into the little structure to change first, as Lance apologized profusely that he didn’t have anything proper to fit him. Shiro had taken quite a while, but Keith had just shaken his head when Lance suggested going to check on him. When Shiro emerged, jokingly asking for opinions on his outfit, Lance had to pretend not to be holding back laughter. Shiro was wearing what basically amounted to a bathrobe over pants that had been baggy on Lance, but were skin tight on the other. Shiro and Keith apparently didn’t know enough about Water Tribe clothing to find it amusing, but Lance was sure that he would be getting strange looks from his sister later. 

Keith was halfway expecting Lance to laugh a bit at him, too, but all he received when he stepped back out into the snow was a low, teasing whistle. “Lookin’ good, Hothead,” Lance said with a wink. Keith rolled his eyes and sat back down by the fire, which was still going strong. He pulled up his hood, and was suddenly hit with that same scent from earlier. His eyes widened a bit as he was reminded of the warm weight of Lance’s body against his, and the fact that these clothes were _definitely_ Lance’s. He tried to push the thought from his head and concentrate on the conversation as Lance chatted to Shiro about the possibility of grabbing them some food if they were stuck out here much longer, but all Keith could focus on was the scent that clung to the fur trim of the jacket. 

It was entirely unfair that this boy could somehow manage to so quickly change from being an annoying inconvenience to suddenly being all sweet and helpful. Keith couldn’t help but notice just by the way Lance was talking about his plans for the evening that, although he himself was more than welcome inside the village, he fully intended to stay out here and make camp with the firebenders until they were allowed in, no matter how long it took. Even more upsetting was the fact that he also apparently smelled nice all the time, Shiro seemed to like him, _and_ he was, admittedly, attractive. Keith just couldn’t catch a break. 

Keith had always been thankful to Shiro for everything the older man had done for him. They had been practically brothers when they were younger, and Shiro had pulled strings for Keith after entering the military to ensure that he was looked out for, even when Shiro had to dedicate most of his time to military matters. As his superior officer, a bit of the casual closeness had subsided, giving way to a more professional distance between them, though Keith still knew that Shiro had his best interests at heart. He had lost the warm, comforting presence of a best friend, but gained a purpose, a place in the world, and a powerful contact that he could always trust to come through for him. 

What Keith was not thankful for was Shiro’s seemingly superhuman ability to pick up on it every _single_ time he so much as _looked_ at a cute boy. Keith had thought he had heard the end of the teasing years ago, most of Shiro’s natural instinct to joke around sapped from him by his training. Now, though, as Shiro sat broken in the snow, his ‘High Ranking Officer’ facade was almost completely discarded. He had dropped all formality and bravado the instant he turned his back on the Fire Nation, and was currently teasing Keith endlessly while Lance went to grab them some dinner and see if he could hurry along Allura’s decision. Lance hadn’t outright said it, but Keith had seen the other boy’s brief look of horror when they had noticed the blood stains bleeding through Shiro’s robe. Neither had mentioned it, since it was clear that Shiro was trying to hide it, but Lance had hardly even waited a minute before excusing himself, leaving Keith at Shiro’s mercy.

“I could pretend to be asleep and you could insist on cuddling for warmth,” Shiro suggested gleefully, prompting Keith to throw another handful of loose snow at him.

“Don’t you have some healing to do instead of harassing me? I don't want to cuddle anyone!” Keith huffed.

“Watching you blush whenever Lance does _anything_ is a whole new agony, Keith,” Shiro shrugged, going for casual teasing but missing the mark when he failed to hide the way he winced at the movement. Keith noticed, of course, and a look of worry immediately overtook his features.

“I’m not blushing...it’s just cold out here,” Keith told him, no fight to his voice now. “Anyway, I’ve got other things to focus on,” he added, looking at Shiro with concern. 

Shiro sighed. “Keith, this is going to take time to heal. You worrying isn’t going to make it go any faster,” he said with a soft smile. “You’re allowed to make friends and try to enjoy yourself while I regain my strength.”

“I don’t see how I can enjoy myself when there’s a war going on,” Keith told him flatly.

“The two aren’t mutually exclusive.”

“I’m not sure if you were in different classes, but they didn’t really teach wartime fun at the military academy,” Keith pointed out. Shiro let out a small laugh.

“No, they definitely didn’t,” he agreed, “though that didn’t mean we weren’t allowed to have fun in our personal lives,” he added.

“I didn’t have much of a personal life,” Keith said, the ‘with you so busy’ going unspoken.

“Guess neither of us do, anymore,” Shiro sighed before a sly smile crept across his face. “At least, not until you and Lance-” he started, but was cut off by another handful of snow directly to the face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends!
> 
> We hope everyone is enjoying this so far, we've got a lot of exciting things planned! Being co-authors is keeping us accountable, it's great :) Expect a new chapter every few weeks, we're having a lot of fun recovering from s8 by writing this fic! Usually while screaming. It's all part of the healing process.
> 
> Also, please don't hesitate to leave a comment here or send us a message on Tumblr, we really appreciate the feedback!
> 
> [DanceParty's Tumblr](https://senpaiinspace.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [FlamingBentley's Tumblr](http://fangirlwithanerfgun.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We challenge you all to a drinking game. Every time they mention the damn soup, take a shot! It will be a lot more fun that way ;)

Lance had never been a particularly patient person, something that had always gotten on Allura’s nerves. He favored his instincts over her careful deliberation, and times like this just served to convince him that sometimes, his methods were the ones they should go with. He couldn’t sit around anymore and watch Shiro pretend to be strong while Keith was so obviously worried about him. Lance hadn’t gotten a good look at the man’s injuries, but he would bet everything he had left that they were far more extensive than he was letting on. Allura was taking far too long to reach her decision.

Lance followed the halls inside their ship to the large chamber towards the back that would serve as their main meeting room, now that their usual headquarters back at the castle had been destroyed. As expected, he heard his sister’s raised voice as soon as he turned to corner into the hallway. More surprising, though, was that Matt seemed to be getting heated as well.

“You know the types of people I deal with, and you know that I’m _always_ deciding if I can or can’t trust people and their information. You know how _accurate_ I am, which is exactly why Lance recruited me in the first place!” Matt was saying, “I’m not asking you to trust them, I’m asking you to trust my judgment!”

“No one is doubting your skill at your job, my boy,” came Coran’s voice, much calmer than the other two. “You’ve yet to steer us wrong.”

“Coran, they aren’t simply people who were born in the wrong part of the world, they were a part of their army!” Allura said angrily. 

“They were,” agreed Coran, “which is also something that must be taken into consideration. There’s no obvious choice, I’m afraid. I’ll stand by whatever you choose, Princess...though I urge you to consider all parts of this, not only their origin.”

Lance pushed open the door and walked into the room, three sets of eyes on him now. He could just tell that Allura was about to berate him for leaving the Firebenders, but he spoke before she had the chance. 

“We need to get the Firebenders somewhere safe for the night. Shiro especially...he needs medical attention,” Lance announced. “I get that you’re trying to come to the right conclusion or whatever, but he doesn’t have time for that. He and Keith...we don’t have to accept them completely with open arms or anything, but I think we at least should give them a chance and get Shiro to the village’s hospital,” he finished before anyone had the chance to interrupt.

“You...seemed less than impressed by them before,” Allura said, which was a bit of an understatement about his change of tone. She seemed to be surprised enough by it to forget her temper momentarily. Lance just shrugged.

“They’re not so bad,” he concluded, a bit embarrassed about how he had acted initially. “Not saying I trust them with my life or anything, but I don’t think they’re here to betray us. They just need help.”

“And are they deserving of it?” Allura shot back, frowning and crossing her arms.

“Only way to find out is to give them the chance,” Lance pointed out. “But...yeah. From what I’ve seen, I think they are.”

Matt gave Lance a small smile and nod, and Allura let out a sigh, looking to Coran for advice. Coran twirled his mustache in thought.

“I understand your hesitation, Princess, and it is far from unfounded...but these two right here are some of the finest judges of character I know,” Coran added. “Ultimately, the choice is yours.”

Lance looked at his sister, waiting on her reply. For a moment, he feared he was going to have to take the matter into his own hands and declare that he was taking Shiro to the hospital himself when Allura finally relented.

“Very well,” she decided finally. “This is by no means a permanent decision, and I will rescind it the instant I deem it necessary. I am giving them a _chance,_ not a permanent place with us,” she warned, “but...alright. They may stay.”

 

.   . .

 

Allura took the opportunity to attend to Shiro soon after he arrived in the hospital. She reasoned it was her best chance at getting to know this ex-General better before she officially determined whether they were allowed to stay. The crewmen sent to escort the Firebender had just left, and as Allura lifted the curtain’s on Shiro’s section she waved off the healers there too.

She felt a little awkward looking at Shiro lying there, his exhaustion having finally won. Her first look at him, wounded and sleeping, only reminded her how harsh she had been upon their first meeting. She silently chided herself to be kinder in the future; good rulers have better perspective.

It was so quiet. She approached his bed and assessed his condition more critically than before. Allura was a fairly competent healer, but Shiro’s wounds were admittedly more pervasive than she was used to. When she had unwrapped all of his old, soiled wrappings, she almost lost her resolve to do it. After all, she was always more inclined to fighting rather than healing, she just never had the stomach for it. And this General was clearly putting up a tough front, judging by how extensive his burns really were. She had treated dozens of burn victims but had never seen one like this still fighting afterward. 

The burns on his face and neck had mostly healed, looking mottled but not enough to distort his features. He had a deep gash across the bridge of his nose and evidence of it being broken, but the bruising was only a pale green color under the skin now around his eyes. His chest burns would have to be her first priority, as they were still raw, oozing and bleeding from rubbing against the bandages. She covered her hands in water and set them tenderly on his charred skin. As soon as her hands made contact, however, she felt him tense as he gasped awake. She pressed on, letting the healing water spread as she channeled her energy into his wounds.

“You have to relax,” she said, softly.

“I’m trying, I know, I’m trying. It doesn’t hurt...just...a little warning?” He said groggily.

Allura smiled, “I’m sorry, most patients sleep through it.”

Shiro tried to relax now that the shock subsided, “It’s...cold.”

“I hear that a lot. Just focus on your breathing and close your eyes, you’ll feel better in no time,” she responded. But in fact, she knew already that Shiro’s recovery would a journey of itself. It would be weeks until his wounds closed, then she could focus on healing the scar tissue. She doubted that the scars would ever completely go away, even with her healing powers. It was strange to her, to look at someone who she felt was her enemy, and feel sympathy for them. Shiro may be raw and bleeding, but Allura’s wounds were even fresher than his. Sure, he hadn’t been involved in the attack on her city, but he was still a Firebender. He was still a General. She could understand that Shiro and Keith might be eager to join the rebellion now, but that was not always the case. It would take her a long time to warm up to the idea of Shiro, an ex-General, being part of her team. But she promised Lance she would consider it, and give them a chance. So, she had to start with the basics, “What happened to you, Shiro?”

“Hmm? Oh, sorry. I think I dozed off there.” He peeked at her through half-closed eyes.

“I said, what happened to you?” she repeated. Matt had already briefed her in everything she needed to know about Takashi Shirogane, but she wanted to hear it from him.

“Oh, um, yeah...I blew up the outpost where I was stationed. I didn’t mean to destroy the whole outpost, just the-...hmm...well, all of this was confidential, but...let me start over,” Shiro gingerly lifted himself up on his pillows, collecting his thoughts for a more proper briefing. He cleared his throat, “I was assigned to guard a high-profile super weapon that the Fire Nation was developing. I don’t know much more than that, but when I saw them test it out, I knew...I knew I had to do _something_. I really was just trying to disable it. Didn’t plan on blowing myself up in the process but...here we are.”

Allura nodded, “Shiro, if you saw this weapon then I need to know anything you know about it.”

He became a little sheepish about the request, “I wish I did know more about it, but I don’t. Though the destruction it caused...the explosion...I didn’t think it was possible. It wasn’t natural. The crater it left behind was massive, it could wipe out an entire village in one shot, and they didn’t even fire it at full power. I know you don’t know me but you have to believe me when I say that I didn’t know what that thing could do,” He was becoming animated as he spoke, but Allura gently pushed him back down.

“Keep still, I believe you. I’m sorry for bringing this up, we’ll have time to discuss it later,” she said as he relaxed again.

“No. it’s alright. It’s just that I knew someone had to do something. I couldn’t wait for the Avatar to destroy it, so I had to take action myself.”

Shiro noticed Allura’s face drop at the mention of the Avatar and knew he’d brought up a sore subject somehow. He looked around the room, trying to think of something else to say, “So, yeah. Anyways, I’m grateful you’re allowing Keith and I to stay here. I hope Matt didn’t have to push too hard.”

“He did, but I’m looking forward to our alliance,” she gave a diplomatic smile, but then couldn’t help herself, “I have to say, what really convinced me after all was finally having a face to the childhood friend in all of Matt’s stories.”

Shiro blushed immediately, “Oh, good. So he’s talked about me before, then?”

Allura laughed a little, “I’ve heard much about you already, Curtains.”

 

.   . .

 

Keith had been hiding out in his room for nearly four days now, barely leaving except to find food and showers. After the battle was over and the matter of their loyalty decided, Allura allowed for Keith to stay on one of her ships, at least on a temporary basis. At first, Keith would have rather run away then set foot on another ship, but he was beginning to appreciate having his own space now, although begrudgingly. It was, at least, much more akin to what he was used to, the alternative being out in the snow.

He didn’t have any belongings except his Fire Nation uniform and his mother’s knife, both of which he tucked neatly away under his mattress, just in case. He was also given a Northern Water Tribe military uniform by Allura, though he also kept the clothes Lance had let him wear as well. They were softer, warmer, and fit better than either of his uniforms anyways. They also had that lingering scent of something warm, like vanilla or honey, which was a nice comfort from the cold.

Other than that, the small cabin room he was given was empty, bare, and exceedingly boring. After four days of alternating sleeping, routine workouts, and people watching through his room’s porthole, Keith was itching for something to do. Shiro’s lingering advice from when they last spoke stuck with him, but he was still at a loss. He’d never considered having a hobby and he didn’t like people. But for his own sanity, he’d have to figure out some way to have “fun.” Naturally, he found himself wandering the Northern Water Tribe military training grounds.

By now, everyone knew about Keith and Shiro joining their camp, but surprisingly, Keith wasn’t getting as many stares now as he imagined. Though he was outfitted in proper Water Tribe apparel, he still obviously didn’t fit in due to his pale skin and constant shivering. Still, no one bothered him when he came by to spectate. He even thought that he might get away with practicing a few moves before anyone caught on that he was specifically a Firebender. There wasn’t any official training happening at the moment, but many of the soldiers from the ships were still out letting off a little steam. Keith watched some of the one on one battles, but before he could find a chance to volunteer to fight he lost his nerve.

It was one thing to be a Firebender amongst hundreds of Waterbenders, and quite another to be a show-off amongst hundreds of people who didn’t trust him. He was just slipping off the field when he heard a familiar voice call out,

“Hey Mullet!”

Keith hunched his shoulders and slowly spun around. Lance and Matt were practicing a little further from the rest of the crowds, Pidge sitting in the snow bank nearby. He considered turning back and ignoring the grinning Waterbender motioning him over, but didn’t. Shiro would be so proud.

“My name isn’t Mullet, and I don’t have one either,” he said once he’d made it to the group. Lance shook his head,

“You’re obviously in denial, and in desperate need of a haircut.”

Keith bristled, “Noted. Can I go?”

“Woah, woah. No need to be that way. I was just wondering when I’d see your face around again, you totally disappeared for a while.”

Lance seemed a little taken aback by his harsh tone, which made him remember that the last time they’d spoken was relatively pleasant. He relaxed his shoulders and tried to start over.

“Sorry, did you need something? Or can I go?” 

Lance opened his arms in invitation. It almost looked like he was offering a hug except for the shit-eating grin that spread across his face. “Fight me, hot-head.”

Keith looked over his opponent critically for a moment. Lance was taller than him by maybe 2 or 3 inches, but thin. He didn’t look weak, probably quite a bit of lean muscle there, and he could tell that Lance was properly trained in combat maneuvers. Still, Keith could probably win. He looked to Matt and Pidge next, who were noticeably trying to seem distracted from his interaction with the Water Tribe boy. They’d probably told Lance not to engage in the first place, if he was to wager. “Yeah, I don’t think you want me to do that,” he finally declared.

“Oh, I think I do,” Lance replied, not missing a beat.

“This should be interesting,” Pidge said under her breath as her brother came to sit beside her. He smirked and addressed Lance,

“Yes, getting your ass kicked should be good for training.”

“Hey!” Lance exclaimed, which only delighted his tutor more.

With the encouragement from Matt, Keith prepared his stance. 

Traditional firebending practice fights did not use fire against the opponent, but instead focused on hand-to-hand combat. From what Keith had already observed, Waterbenders had the same idea. Though there were plenty of people practicing bending, it was dangerous to do so outside of monitored duels. Still, Keith was wary of what Lance might do, so as he approached for his first moveset, he was extra careful.

Lance managed to fend off Keith’s blows with surprising ease, which made him grin. He recognized that Keith was testing out the waters so to speak, and took advantage of his apprehension. When Keith started a new sequence of punches, Lance already anticipated a finishing kick and grabbed Keith’s ankle right out of the air.

He used the momentum of the kick to swing Keith’s leg away, knocking his balance. Keith fell to the ground with a thud and Lance laughed,

“Easy-peasy, Mullet!”

Keith recovered and jumped to his feet, moving in a flurry of blows faster than Lance anticipated. He was still able to deflect them, but it immediately put Lance on the defensive, and Keith continued relentlessly. Lance kept moving, taking some blows as he dodged and deflected frantically. As he moved backward, he was edging closer to the snowbank, farther from his friends. He heard Matt instructing him from afar.

“Don’t give him so much ground, Lance!”

“Yeah, trying. Thanks,” he responded, inching even closer to the bank.

Though Keith started out using more predictable moves, Lance quickly realized his opponent’s true strength was his ability to improvise. Keith was an opportunist, and he was flawlessly abandoning his trained sequences with some weird moves to throw Lance off. It was working, and Lance started panicking as he began falling behind on his defensive maneuvers, leaving openings that Keith made sure to take advantage of right away.

It was a targeted swing to the face that finally gave Lance the opening he needed, but he didn’t account for how close he was to the edge of the training field. His feet were already planted in the snow bank, which sloped gently downwards. As he dodged Keith’s punch, his footing slipped and his balance threatened to send him tumbling down the hill. He didn’t realize that he used waterbending to knock Keith’s punch away, and then, to make matters worse, the water froze as Lance clenched his fist to land a counter attack on Keith’s side.

Keith cried out in alarm as icy waters froze over his fists, and seconds later a sharp pain in his side sent him to the ground for a second time. He felt his anger igniting his hands, quickly melting Lance’s ice.

“That’s cheating,” Keith said, keeping his hands encased with flame.

Lance looked at the other, a little horrified, but before he could get a word in Keith lunged at him. They tumbled down the bank, and Lance could feel Keith’s hands burning holes into his jacket as they fell.

When they reached the bottom, Keith sprung up already bending a slash of fire that narrowly missed Lance as he rolled away.

Lance managed to get to his feet before the next slash of fire whipped past them. Lance couldn’t rely on being able to waterbend again, so the best he could do was move out of the way until Keith relented, but Keith was just as relentless with his bending as he was with hand-to-hand combat.

Keith, caught up in the moment, sent a flurry of fire at Lance, who was surprisingly good at dodging, but this only enraged him more. He was anticipating Lance to throw another counterattack of ice or water, so he made sure to keep his opponent busy defending. Finally, he gave Lance a moment to regain his footing, but only so that he could charge up a swirling torrent of flames, which unleashed on Lance like a mini tornado coming straight towards him.

Keith expected Lance to throw up a wall of water or ice to defend himself, but when he looked over, he could see a distinct, panicked fear in his opponent’s eyes. Then, Keith panicked too, knowing he’d gone too far and now it was too late to stop his flames from hitting Lance full force. He ran forward, hoping in vain that he could push Lance out of the way fast enough, yelling out to him,

“Lance, dodge!”

Lance felt paralyzed. He knew he could have easily avoided the attack with his bending, but his ability was so unreliable, and he failed to bend anything at all. As a final attempt to save himself from the torrent of fire, he threw up his arms to protect his face and tumbled forwards.

The fire dissipated around Lance’s arms as his instincts kicked in to deflect the blow. Before he hit the ground, Keith barreled into him from the side, and they rolled out of the flames and into soggy snow.

Keith righted himself, quickly pushing himself off of Lance and landing in a sitting position by his feet. Lance sat up soon after, timidly dropping his arms from his face. They stared at each other for a few moments, dumb-struck. Keith spoke first,

“How did you--”

“What is _wrong with you?_ ” Lance cut him off, “You could’ve killed me!”

“I thought...you started it!” Keith replied.

Before Lance could continue, Matt and Pidge made it down the hill to join them.

“What the quiznack, guys.” Pidge interrupted, immediately kneeling beside Lance and checking him for injuries. Matt looked from one to the other, exasperated and a little out of breath.

“Is everyone alright?”

Pidge responded, “Lance looks fine. Keith, are you alright?”

Keith nodded, still staring at Lance in disbelief. He was still trying to process what just happened, but it all went so fast. He tried to ask again,

“How did you deflect my fire like that?”

“You mean, how did I stop you from killing me? I don’t know if I want to tell you, in case you improve your technique for next time!”

Keith glared at him, crossing his arms defensively, “I expected you to block. Even average Waterbenders can throw up a water shield.”

“I...I guess I shouldn’t even _expect_ someone like you would apologize.” Lance said, throwing his arms in the air.

“Someone like me? You mean a _Firebender_?” Keith was getting up now, and Lance followed his movement. But before it could escalate any further, Matt stepped between them. He smiled, but shot Lance a pointed look.

“Alright, you guys. Things got a little... _heated,_ but let’s just be grateful that no one was hurt.”

Lance crossed his arms and replied, “I don’t know why you’re looking at me when Keith’s the wannabe murderer here.”

“You started it!” Keith shouted.

Pidge tried to change the subject, “Hey, why don’t we all go see if Hunk can fix us up with some hot chocolate.” She pushed at Lance for emphasis.

After a few moments, Lance dropped his scowl and nodded, “Alright, hot chocolate does sound good.”

The three of them made to leave, when Pidge looked back at Keith. He looked angry, but maybe a little dejected too. She sighed, “Keith, aren’t you coming?”

“No,” both Lance and Keith answered at the same time. Then Keith cast his glare downwards to his feet. “No, it’s alright. Thanks, Pidge.”

Without hesitating, the Firebender made his way up the hill and pushed past the small crowd of soldiers who had gathered around from the commotion. Once he’d disappeared past the crowd, Pidge turned to Lance, “You actually did start it.”

Lance only glared at her in response, but the guilt started to settle in his stomach all the same.

 

.   . .

 

The Southern Water Tribe had a visitor’s section outside their walls, a small fortified area maintained by the villagers in case travelers needed somewhere to stay without having to brave the harsh winter weather. Since the Northern troops arrived, however, the section had flourished into a tiny metropolis of temporary ice huts and fire circles. Hunk had set up there too, having commissioned some soldiers to build him his own hut, equipped with a fairly decent, though primitive, kitchen. No one knew how long they would he stationed here, but with the North in pieces at the moment, it was easier not to think on that. Instead, the soldiers relished the luxury of moving out from their cramped living quarters on the ships to a more native environment.

Hunk was making the most of his time in the Southern Water Tribe, even if he felt as out of place as a tree in the tundra. But cooking made him feel better, filling his hut with the soothing aromas of his family’s recipes made him a little less homesick. And, it also attracted the equally homesick and hungry Water Tribe soldiers to his door. Food just had a way of building a community.

“Woah, what are you making?” Pidge’s voice sounded from the doorway as she let herself in to Hunk’s hut.

“Yeah, it smells amazing,” commented Lance behind her. They had walked here in a bit of an awkward silence, and Lance was more than pleased to have Hunk here to ease the slight tension. Hunk beamed from his ice stool by the fireplace. 

“It’s five-flavor soup. I learned the recipe from one of the locals, apparently, it’s a big thing here,” he said, fanning his modest flames diligently, “It’s hard to keep it simmering with such a lack of wood, but I’ve been getting by.”

Lance smiled sweetly, taking in the warm, rich scent. “Hunk, you’re the best. When can we eat?”

“Actually, you’re just in time,” he responded, already reaching for his accumulated pile of bowls. The gang sat eagerly at Hunk’s ice table and watched him portion the soup out. It didn’t look very impressive, just a brownish broth with some dried seasoning, served over a small bed of rice. It had no right to smell as mouth-watering as it did.

“Thanks, man,” Lance said happily, settling down to eat.

“So, busy morning?” Hunk asked conversationally.

“Oh, _Lance_ has had a busy morning,” Pidge told him slyly, making Lance roll his eyes.

“The soup's amazing, Hunk,” he said, steadfastly ignoring her attempt to lead the conversation.

“I hope you don’t mind that I added rice,” Hunk told him, knowing that Lance was probably the only one here who was familiar with the original dish, “I had some left from the Earth Kingdom laying around, so I modified the recipe a little.”

Lance shook his head, “The rice actually makes it better.”

“Thanks, Lance,” Hunk said, his chest swelling with pride at the compliment. He was always pleased when his innovations were appreciated.

“Speaking of the soup, wouldn’t it have been nice to have a Firebender helping you keep that pit going?” said Pidge, giving Lance a pointed look.

Hunk shrugged, looking between the two of them, “Yeah, I guess.”

“Can we just drop it now?” Lance responded, scowling. Now Hunk settled his gaze on Lance, looking confused.

“Did you guys come here to talk about something?”

It was Matt that spoke up then, “Well no, we were starving after practice. This really hits the spot, Hunk,” he said appreciatively, “But maybe Lance has something on his mind. Speaking of the soup, obviously. The manually heated soup.”

“Exactly. _Speaking of the soup_. Nothing but the soup on my mind,” Lance insisted through gritted teeth. “Hey, Hunk, did you know that the Southern Water Tribe has an even worse time trying to grow crops than we do up North?” Lance asked, not-so-subtly changing the subject.

“Oh, yeah!” Hunk nodded, “I've been talking to some locals. It's all meat and fish down here,” he said, meeting Lance's slightly desperate attempt to steer the conversation with a bit more enthusiasm than it deserved. “The closest they get to vegetables is really just dried greens every now and again.”

“I wonder what kind of soup they have in the Fire Nation,” Pidge wondered absently as she poked around some of the rice in her bowl with her spoon.

“If only Keith were here to tell us,” Matt sighed wistfully, even though Lance knew for a fact that Matt was well acquainted with various cuisines of the world.

“You know, I came here to have a good time and honestly, you Holts are being insufferable right now.”

“We’re just saying that Keith probably would’ve really enjoyed this soup is all,” said Pidge. Lance slumped in his chair then, groaning loudly.

“Did something happen?” Hunk asked, still confused. “I'm starting to suspect that you guys aren't really this passionate about cultural variation in soups.”

“Ok fine, yeah. Keith and I practiced today and things got really out of hand.”

“Like, how?”

“Like, Keith tried to spit roast me. Seriously, I almost died.”

Hunk gave Pidge a wild look, which she returned with a shrug.

“I mean, yeah,” she said.

“Ok, but...?” Hunk asked, his expression changing from confusion to concern as he looked around the table at his friends. “Is Keith like, a real threat to the Cause then?”

At that, Lance groaned louder, “No, no it’s not like that. It was just...things got out of hand is all. I...I started it, and then I was too angry to apologize so now Keith probably hates us all.”

“He probably just hates you,” Matt said, finishing his broth with a satisfied slurp. Lance shot him a glare.

“Ok, so he hates me now. And, once again, I’ve made him look like a traitor in front of everyone so…”

“So you should probably go apologize,” Hunk said, simply. Lance was already slumped in his seat, staring up at the ceiling in a dramatic fashion. 

“It’s not that simple, Hunk.”

“Look, even if you aren’t sorry about it, would it be worth losing Keith as a potential ally?”

“Well I am sorry, it’s not that. It’s just that I don’t think Keith wants to hear it, is all.”

Hunk thought it over, looking at Lance critically. He knew Lance as someone who was almost always able to smooth out a situation, so hearing him doubt himself now seemed out of place.

“Lance, I’m sure that Keith will appreciate it anyway.”

Lance thought about how harshly he acted after their fight and felt guilty all over again. He knew Hunk was right, and he knew that he’d need to try, even if Keith ended up hating him anyway.

As a Prince, Lance had always been a representation of his people. There were so many who looked up to him as a role model to follow, so he was only letting himself down when he acted rudely to his new Fire Nation allies.

He needed to go to Keith and ask for a fresh start. This time, he was going to try to be friends.

While he was quietly contemplating, the Holts had changed the subject back to cultural food and recipe variations, which excited Hunk all over again. Lance stayed quiet, thinking about what he should do. He already knew the answer though, and so after a few minutes, he stood up from the table.

“Alright, I’m going to go get this Keith stuff out of the way. Sooner the better, I think. Thanks for the soup, Hunk.”

Lance said his goodbyes and started his trek back to Allura’s main ship. As he walked, he played out the scenarios in his head of how this was going to go, coaching himself through any potential outcomes that would end in more fighting. He decided that most of his anxiety over the situation came from the fact that he didn’t _know_ Keith. He was going into this without knowing what to say because he just didn’t know how the other would react. It was infuriating, but admittingly intriguing as well. In fact, it was almost like flirting, except, well, _different_ , for obvious reasons.

When he got to the ship, he crossed paths with Coran, who waved to him cheerfully.

“Ah! Lance, just the person I wanted to see.”

“Hey Coran,” Lance said, distracted. But Coran stopped him anyways.

“I hope you weren’t headed somewhere too important, because I’ve actually just been sent from Allura to collect you and your ambassador friends. She’s calling for an urgent debriefing.”

Lance sighed, but a little part of him was relieved. For some reason, he was working himself up over this whole Keith thing. Being alone with him seemed...intimidating? It was so silly, but for some reason, he just felt like he suddenly had a lot at stake when it came to talking to Keith. He was, Lance surmised, his first shot at making an ally out of a Firebender, which was a lot of pressure right now, given the circumstances. Either way, he was glad to have Allura as an excuse for now. Hopefully, by the time the debriefing was over, he could pull himself together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have Tumblrs!
> 
> [DanceParty's Tumblr](https://senpaiinspace.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [FlamingBentley's Tumblr](http://fangirlwithanerfgun.tumblr.com/)


	4. Chapter 4

Lance and Coran doubled back for Hunk, Matt, and Pidge, and the group made their way through the main path of the village as light snow fell around them. Lance felt a nervous clenching in his chest as they headed towards the harbor where their ships were docked. It seemed a bit foolish to admit, but he soon realized that he had been so caught up dealing with the drama in his personal life that the upcoming conference had all but slipped his mind.

Allura was waiting for them in the central room on their flagship, seated at the head of a long oval table. They each took a seat for what Lance was sure would be the worst debriefing of his life. He was fine reporting on his part, but he was dreading hearing Allura go over the attack on the North in clinical terms, like she was just reading another passage from the historical scrolls that they had grown up learning. In an effort to hold it off a little longer, Lance quickly volunteered to go first, recounting his mission with Hunk.

“We were talking to some of the Earth Kingdom leaders who were already starting to worry about the Fire Nation, just to put some sort of tentative alliance in place in case things went bad. We were also trying to get in contact with any Fire Nation officials, just to see if we could get any information, but they wouldn’t respond. And...that’s when I got the message from Veronica about the attack,” Lance said with a sigh, looking away when he finally got to the bit that made his chest ache. “I had some dignitaries already discussing working together, but we put a hold on negotiations for a fully-formed military alliance in favor of arranging for our people to be given sanctuary, mostly in Gehode and Carnalian. I wrote Veronica back telling her to bring the refugees there. Then we headed straight to our rendezvous point to meet up with you.” His voice was dull and flat, none of the usual bravado injected into the retelling of his deeds. 

Hunk placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder, and Lance glanced at him and gave him a weak smile. Hunk had been the one who was there for him when he first learned of the attack from a hastily written letter from Veronica. He had been by Lance’s side when he learned about his father’s passing, and the destruction of his home, staying up late with Lance when they took breaks from their traveling just to talk about everything. Hunk was every bit what Lance admired about Earthbenders as a whole, a steadfast and supportive companion with unshakable loyalty. Lance had no idea how he would have made it on his own. 

“He probably got that message around the same time Matt picked up on it. We actually were thinking of heading North,” Pidge cut in, pretending not to notice that she was saving Lance from his thoughts, “but we figured that by the time we got there, even the troops that stayed behind would be cleared out.”

Lance looked at her, frowning slightly in confusion. “The troops that stayed behind?” he echoed. “I thought that everyone left immediately?”

“An immediate evacuation is tough to pull off on that scale,” Coran pointed out. “Alfor called for an evacuation as soon as we realized what was happening, but there are so many people, and some were sick, wounded, elderly, children…”

“Those who intended to come with me to aid the South were directed to board the battleships, those who were headed to the Earth Kingdom as refugees went on the trading vessels…” Allura explained to Lance, “though, in order to save those who couldn’t immediately make it to the harbor...we had to leave the _Atlas_ behind.”

Lance’s chair groaned in protest as he stood immediately, eyes wide with anger as he stared at Allura. “You left Veronica behind?” he demanded. “You told me everyone was safe! 

She said herself that she made it with everyone else!”

“I didn’t _leave_ her, she made her own choice! She didn’t tell you?” Allura sighed and rolled her eyes. “Of course she didn’t,” she murmured to herself. “I was worried she might have done this...Lance, yes, she stayed behind. She absolutely refused to leave unless she was the last person to set foot onto that ship. I received word from her, just as you did, that she and her soldiers made it out,” Allura assured him, and Lance’s stiff posture loosened slightly. “I’m sorry,” Allura said gently. “I didn’t mean to keep it from you...though I can only imagine that she left it out on purpose…”

Lance let out a sigh of relief, sinking back into his chair and running his hands over his face, then through his hair. “I have terrible sisters,” he concluded, no bite to his words. “If either of you does anything like that again-” he started, looking at Allura and pointing accusingly.

“Lance,” Allura said with a soft smile, “she’s our top naval officer. What did you expect? Besides, you know well enough that me being royalty means nothing when it comes to getting Veronica to listen.” It was a fact that they were both very familiar with. When Veronica’s mother had married Allura’s father, they were both young. The girls had grown up together, always seeing one another as equals, despite Allura’s royal blood. If anything, Veronica took her new role as big sister to mean that she was charged with being overprotective. When Lance was born, nothing about Veronica’s mindset had changed. Prince or not, Lance was still her little brother. Now she was one of their Tribe’s best Waterbenders, commanding a small force aboard her own ship, protecting all of their people instead of just her siblings.

“You’re sure she’s safe?” Lance asked with a small voice. 

Allura nodded, her voice firm and honest. “Positive.”

“I’m still going to yell at her,” decided Lance, and Allura just shrugged, knowing she was unable to stop him.

“I’m afraid we have a bit more to contend with than just Veronica’s heroics,” Allura sighed. “I’ve spoken with Shiro,” she said gravely. Lance tensed again, well aware that his sister’s tone meant that she had heard something she wasn’t happy with. He didn’t want her to have found something wrong with the Firebenders, didn’t want to have to kick them out, especially after how he had left things off with Keith.  
Allura took a breath and stood at the head of the table, a solemn expression on her face. “The Fire Nation has the Avatar.”

The room fell silent as the implications of that sunk in. Lance’s jaw dropped, Pidge’s fists clenched, and Hunk looked around worriedly at his friends, attempting to gauge if he was allowed to panic.

“As we know, the Avatar is the bridge between the human and spirit worlds, the only human able to bend spirit magic,” Coran recapped. Allura gave a nod.

“And when I spoke to Shiro, he told me of a weapon that the Fire Nation possesses, something that used a power source that he could hardly comprehend...but from what he described to me, it can’t be anything _but_ spirit magic,” she said. “I can’t be sure if the Avatar is working with them willingly, or if they are forcing them to lend their power, but...the Fire Nation may be an even bigger threat than we feared.”

“Allura…” Lance said, face looking a bit pale. “The Avatar? Why did they attack us if they’ve had them all along? The whole reason we were their first target was because the next  Avatar was supposed to be a Waterbender!”

Allura sighed and shook her head. “We speculated that this was their reasoning, yes...but now it would appear that they attacked because they _knew_ that we wouldn’t have the Avatar to defend us against them,” she reasoned.

“They were already winning, and now they’ve got the most powerful bender on their side, powering some superweapon?” Lance questioned desperately. “Why wouldn’t they have used it against us, then?”

“ _Had_ a superweapon,” Matt corrected. “Shiro destroyed it,” he reminded everyone. “It probably would’ve been used in the attack if it had been operational. Looks like they decided to take a risk and press on without it. I imagine they’re going to rebuild, but Shiro at least stopped it from being used against the North. ”

“Wait, you knew they had the Avatar and you didn’t tell us?” Lance asked Matt. “I know you need to have your secrets and everything, but-”

“No! Of course not! If I had confirmation on anything, I would have told you, but all I was ever aware of was that they had _some_ kind of weapon. I had an operative planning to observe it and report back, but Shiro destroyed it right after its only test. I haven’t heard from them, so I don’t have any conclusive information about this weapon or any others like it. Without Shiro, I would never even have known that they had the thing operational, much less what powered it.”

“Okay, so they _had_ a superweapon. They _still_ have the Avatar. How do we even compete with that?” Lance asked.

“We _can_ compete with it,” Allura insisted. “We were caught off guard and unprepared. It will _not_ happen again,” she told everyone firmly. “Despite everything that happened, our evacuation was extremely successful. There was a lot of destruction, but the loss of life was kept to a minimum. What we need now is a plan of action. We will become a force to contend with the Fire Nation, all we need is to regroup and reestablish a base of operations and a strong network of allies.”

“Okay, so...this is not good,” Hunk concluded, “I mean...it’s really not good, yeah...but now that we know, can’t all the Waterbenders just go to the Earth Kingdom with this information and try to rally them to our cause?” he offered. “They’re the largest player on the board by far, and no one builds a stronghold the way they do in the Earth Kingdom.”

“This information has to be treated carefully,” Matt advised him. “Sometimes, letting people know everything - letting them have their worst fears confirmed - isn’t what we want to do. The Earth Kingdom already doesn’t want to send anyone into battle against the Fire Nation. You and I both know that they’d be even more reluctant to send people to battle the _Avatar._ The last thing we need is for them to have even more to fear, and even more reason to stay out of the fight. This stays between us for now.”

“Though they would be valuable allies for the support they can provide, it is wisest for us not to rely completely on the Earth Kingdom,” Allura decided. “My plans for our Tribe are simple. I will not allow the Fire Nation to take _anything_ from us. Not our hope, not our lives, and not our home,” she continued. “I’m heading back North. We are going to rebuild our homeland and use it as a secure base of operations for our resistance against the Fire Nation. The best way to rally our troops, and to get them ready to fight back, is to restore our home,” she said firmly. 

Lance found himself smiling, and nodded in agreement. He hated the idea of their home lying in ruin. This was a way forward, and he was happy to take it.

“It's going to take a little while for you to resupply for a voyage back up there,” Lance told her. “I had to leave the Earth Kingdom in the middle of our negotiations, so nothing is final yet, but they mostly didn’t want to go to war unless there was a direct attack. This might change things, though. If I go back out there, I might be able to finally solidify my alliance with a few key cities.”

“The world has shifted after that attack,” Coran agreed, nodding his head. “Though some of the more cautious world leaders were worried that the may be hiding something, no one could have anticipated this. In light of what happened to us, some will be more inclined to join, and some will see it as a confirmation that they’d do best to avoid these squabbles. It may be possible we’ll receive offers of aid, and you’ll be the one sent to take care of negotiations in that case,” he told Lance.

“I need to do more than that. Taking donations is great,” Lance said, “but we need more than just what people are willing to hand over...we need to convince them to join us. I’m going to head to Balmera first, they’re the ones I was closest to a breakthrough with.”  


“I’ll see what strings I can pull, too,” Matt promised, “but...it’s pretty remote out here. I’m going to have to head out to connect with my contacts and be sure I’m easier to reach. The Southern Water Tribe is kinda off the network. While I'm at it...maybe it’s time we go home.” He looked over at Pidge, who grimaced slightly. While the two were still allowed back to the Air Temple, it was common knowledge that they weren’t the favorites of the Elders.

“They might help…” Pidge reasoned. “I mean, they’re not gonna stop being disappointed in us for flunking out of monk school, but this is bigger than us. You can take on the Elders, though. Sounds like I’ve already got a mission,” she added, smiling over at Lance. He grinned and looked to Hunk, who nodded in confirmation.

“Alright, fine, send me there alone,” Matt teased. “Hopefully they don’t hold grudges. We’re just never, _ever_ allowed tattoos. Think you can keep everyone in line for me?” he teased. She smiled back.

“I’ll do my best,” she promised, “just don’t get yourself in too much trouble without me.”

After everyone present had a turn to speak, Coran began listing the collected wartime data. He started with the report on assets, detailing their available ships, military units, etc. Without missing a beat, he moved to the report kindly labeled “incidents,” which related all casualties reported thus far in regards to personnel and resources. Though Coran’s voice was chipper, Lance found himself sinking into his seat at the dump of information. It was just as horrifically clinical as he had feared.

A hush followed the close of Coran’s report, which Allura ended as she stood from the table, “Thank you, Coran,” she started, then turned to her brother. “Lance, send word to Balmera to arrange your visit. Coran, Hunk, and Pidge will accompany you. As for you, Matt, I’ll have provisions packed for your journey. Preparations for our voyage home will require effort from all of us, so let’s make haste on these plans and anticipate retaking the North upon your return. We don’t know if any Fire Nation forces await us there, so I’ll need everyone battle ready, just in case.”

 

.   . .

 

Though Lance had to admit that their plans going forward were promising, the conference had still been much more emotionally taxing than he anticipated. He knew talking about the attack would be hard; losing his home had been a major blow, but Lance had found a strange kind of comfort from the fact that things really couldn’t get much worse.

He had been wrong. The Fire Nation had the Avatar.

The problem with accepting rock bottom was that it made you totally unprepared for when things got worse. Before, the attack on the North had seemed like something far away that Lance was unable to stop; it was out of range and out of his hands. By the time he knew about it, it was already over. Now, a sense of impending doom and a promise of a power greater than they had ever seen loomed ominously, and they had no idea when it would strike or how to counter it. Shiro had destroyed the Fire Nation’s superweapon once, but that was only a short-term solution. Lance was both restless to do something, and completely at a loss for what he could do that would actually make a difference. It didn’t help at all that battle seemed to be becoming more and more likely, and Lance’s bending was still unreliable at best. Allura’s plans to rebuild the North and his own decision to forge alliances with the Earth Kingdom helped a bit, but these ideas couldn’t be set into action yet. For now, all Lance could do was wait for a reply from Balmera.

Lance’s eyes were downcast, and he was so wrapped up in his thoughts as he trudged down the hallway of his ship that he didn’t notice another presence ahead of him until it was too late. Suddenly, Keith’s boots were inches from his own, and as he looked up he caught the same wide-eyed look on Keith that he was sure he was wearing himself. 

“Uh, what are you...doing here?” Lance stammered out. He was suddenly and excruciating aware that he had yet to apologize, though one look at Keith’s intense glare made him lose his nerve. 

“This is my room,” Keith responded bluntly, motioning to the closed door he’d just exited. He didn’t mean to sound so annoyed, but having someone drop in on him with his guard down put him on edge.  Besides, he’d just spent the better portion of the morning looking for that same Waterbender, just to have him materialize suddenly in his personal space.

They managed an uncomfortable silence for a few moments. Lance made to move past Keith. Keith, unfortunately, did the same. They side-stepped into each other’s way a few times before Lance stopped himself and tried to speak. He was just going to apologize now and get it out of the way, because how much worse could this moment get, anyway?

“Are you always going to be getting in my way, or can I go?” Keith said before Lance could say anything. Lance looked at him in disbelief then,

“What? What does that even mean?” he said, crossing his arms, defensively.

Unfortunately, Keith took Lance’s pause as an opening and did what he did best in uncomfortable situations. He promptly escaped, an annoyed flush across his cheeks.

Lance frowned to himself, but sighed and went back to his room for the night. If Keith was still so pissed that he was going to have _that_ hard of a time even talking to him, Lance didn’t need to deal with it quite yet. Which was frustrating in itself because the more he thought about it, the more it dawned on him that the entire problem with this whole war thing was that it felt so out of control, like there was nothing he could really do to help the situation. With Keith though, that was entirely within his grasp. More than that, getting back into Keith’s good graces would open up all kinds of doors for him. He had been excited at the prospect of gaining a Firebender contact, but he realized now that it _had_ to be Keith. The other boy had sparked something inside him that no one else ever had. Lance had been sparring for years, against a huge range of sparring partners. Sometimes he managed a bit of bending, but he mostly just sharpened his hand to hand combat skills. He could dodge like a champ, but not even Matt or Pidge could provoke him to bend like _that_. Keith hadn’t even been trying to pull it out of him, and yet he had so effortlessly managed to put Lance’s bending on display. Despite how annoying it might be to accomplish, Lance wanted more than just forgiveness, he wanted Keith’s help. 

He had been worried that closing his eyes and letting sleep take him would be an invitation for nightmares involving watching his favorite places from his childhood burn, or fight the Avatar alone without ever being able to bend a thing. Instead, he made up his mind that tomorrow he would make things right with Keith, and suddenly his thoughts were laid to rest for a well-deserved, dreamless sleep.

 

Keith Kogane was an idiot. Social situations had never been his forte, and awkward social situations, especially where he was at fault, were pretty much the bane of his existence. He had literally just run away from Lance after deeming the situation unsalvageable, wandered aimlessly around the ship for fifteen minutes, and then snuck back into his room after peering down the hallways to make sure that Lance wasn’t still lurking somewhere. It wasn’t that Keith didn’t want to see Lance, it was that he was utterly unable to control himself when he did. He knew what he needed to say, but when Keith tried, it was like all the right ideas were fluttering around in his gut, but he couldn’t force them to take form. Panicked and flustered, his nerves refused to let him say all the things he knew Lance deserved.

Keith didn’t feel bad for using his bending. After all, Lance had started that. He did, however, feel bad for using it recklessly. He knew he had a temper, and he had to admit that it sometimes got the better of him. Keith had a habit of refusing to take anyone’s shit lying down, always turning it back on them and delivering the pushback they deserved. He usually only realized later that he was getting carried away with it, the caliber of his retribution far more intense than the original slight. He was fully aware that he had never intended to hurt Lance, but now, looking back at it, he realized that the way he was attacking was designed to do just that. Not only had he made himself look like a rage-fueled liability of a Firebender, but he knew that this would also reflect badly upon Shiro. Not to mention, he had been needlessly hard on the one person who had shown him the most kindness since he and Shiro fled the Fire Nation. He could almost hear Shiro’s patented Dad Voice scolding him. What was worse, he knew he deserved it.

It was a stupid move on his part to risk losing the support of one of the people who was giving them sanctuary. More than that, though...Lance had been nice to him, way nicer than he was required to be. When they had started sparring together, Keith had hoped that they might even grow to be friends. It was just a slight glimmer of hope, but Keith didn’t want to lose it almost as soon as he had found it. Practically, yeah, he needed to smooth this over, but that need was nothing in comparison to the stupid guilt that twanged in his gut whenever he pictured the look of fear on Lance’s face just before he had stopped his attacks. He groaned and rolled over in bed, pulling his pillow over his head, as if to block everything out and smother his thoughts. He’d do it tomorrow, he decided. He’d just force the words out, and hopefully, earn Lance’s forgiveness. 

Keith woke up early the next morning, one of his habits from spending so much time with Shiro. The older man was definitely a morning person, and infuriatingly so. Keith usually spent his early mornings angrily and wordlessly getting in a morning training session and ignoring Shiro’s bright and chipper attempts to make conversation until he felt awake enough to actually function as a human being. Today was different, though. After yesterday’s events, he was reluctant to go back to the training grounds. Instead, he pulled on Lance’s coat and made his way off the ship and into the village, heading to the hospital to visit Shiro. He tried to reason with himself that it didn’t count as procrastinating, since Lance probably wasn’t even awake yet, anyway.

When Keith returned a while later, some of his nerves had been smoothed over. Shiro definitely wasn’t ready to leave the hospital yet, but the rate of his healing was incredible. He had improved more in the past few days than during the rest of their journey put together. The Waterbenders were clearly taking good care of him, and Keith found himself in a good mood despite everything. All he had to do was patch things up with Lance, and then it seemed like things were actually looking up for them, for a change.

He immediately regretted thinking of speaking to Lance as a simple task when he turned down the hallway to his room and saw Lance there again, pacing in front of his door. Keith’s stomach lurched, and his first instinct was to run away again, but he clenched his jaw and steeled himself, continuing down the hallway.

 

Lance had been trying to do the right thing, he really had. In retrospect, maybe Keith was the type who hated having people disturb him in his room, almost as if Lance was encroaching on his territory? Or maybe he really did just hate him _that_ much now. Either way, when Lance suddenly saw Keith walking straight for him, fist clenched and a look of fierce determination in his eye, every instinct he had screamed for him to turn and run. Why did Firebenders have to be such hotheads, anyway?

“Hey, whoa, no need for that!” Lance said quickly, putting his hands up defensively. Keith was clearly still pissed, so it was time to abort mission and start with evasive actions instead. “I’m not even here to bother you, just passing on a message and then leaving,” he assured Keith, who seemed to deflate a bit. Good. Lance didn’t need a repeat of all his fire-slinging here in the narrow hallway of the wooden ship.

“You...weren’t here to talk to me?” Keith asked, a weird tone to his voice that Lance couldn’t really read. Was he actually _disappointed_ that this wasn’t going to turn into a round two? 

“I was-...I just needed to tell you. Um. Well, _Allura_ wanted me to tell you, that...we’re going to continue to stay here. For a little while. So. Yes. Everything carrying on as normal. Okay. Message delivered,” Lance babbled as he backed away. “I’m just gonna…” he jerked his head towards the hallway just around the corner, silently excusing himself. Keith just frowned at him as Lance left. Lance was too busy cringing at himself to pay much attention.

 

.   . .

 

Allura knocked hesitantly on the outside of her brother’s door. They hadn’t spent any real time alone with one another since their arrival here, and that didn’t sit right with her. It seemed to her as if everything was happening so fast now that she had taken her father’s position as leader to her people. She ached to just relax with Lance like they had done before the war began. There was likely little time left before he was off again for the Earth Kingdom, so she needed to take full advantage of the time they had now. Her only wish was that she could have the rest of their family with them as well, instead of scattered across the globe or gone from their lives forever.

Thinking of her family, until recently, had given Allura strength. Now though, she carried the ache of her father's loss in her chest, and a twisting feeling in her gut reminded her that she had far more to discuss than just frivolities. She needed to talk about Veronica.

After realizing that her half-sister had concealed so much from Lance, her closest confidant, Allura had poured over the letters she’d received as well. She wasn’t sure what she was searching for, but she couldn’t shake the worry that Veronica may have used the same half-truths and careful omissions on her as well. The nagging suspicion that her sister was not in Carnelian with the civilian refugees, as she claimed, had become nearly unbearable. Much to her frustration, putting the letters under scrutiny confirmed that her sister had been using very careful phrasing all along; it was always “the ships have made it to Carnalian,” or “our people continue to adjust to the Earth Kingdom,” or “the _Atlas_ remains docked in the bay.” Perhaps Allura was reading too much into it. The letters certainly would _imply_ that Veronica was safe in Carnalian with the other Northerners, but she had so steadfastly avoided using the word “I” that Allura couldn’t help but worry. She still hadn’t decided if it was worth bringing up to her brother.

Lance opened his door moments later and motioned her inside with a soft smile. She could tell he had been getting ready for bed since he had a face mask on; step eight in his twelve-step regimen, she recalled. His bags were already packed and lined up at the door. As she stared at them, she realized how somber she must have looked and forced herself to brighten up, but it was no use.

“Something on your mind, Allura?” Lance sat on the edge of his bed and Allura followed. She didn’t know what to say, so she settled on the first thing that came to mind, 

“You’re already packed?”

“Well yeah, I want to be ready to ship out as soon as we hear back from Balmera. Sooner the better!”

Lance’s thinly disguised restlessness wasn’t lost on her. She felt the same nervous energy herself as she waited for the preparations to mobilize to fall into place. It was easier to gain confidence in her new role when she felt like she was actually working towards something, but the last few days had been spent impatiently waiting on others in order to move forward.

“I suppose that’s true,” she said, “though I wish you didn’t have to go.”

Lance studied her, reading into her like she knew he was gifted at. She had never been good at hiding her emotions anyway.

“You know I have to go, Allura,” Lance responded.

“I know,” she sighed. “It’s just...it’s dangerous out there, especially now that the Avatar has surfaced. We don’t know what could happen next.”

Lance brushed her off, even though he did have the same concerns, “The Earth Kingdom is probably the safest place in the world to be, with or without this new Avatar war machine. I’ll be fine. Besides, it’s not like we _know_ they have the Avatar, right?”

“I suppose it’s possible that they don’t,” Allura conceded hesitantly, not sounding convinced, “but from the description Shiro gave me, it’s unlikely it could’ve been powered by anything else. Moving forward, I think it’s best to prepare for that possibility.”

“I just don’t understand. Dad was a symbol of peace throughout the world. We were happy,” Lance responded, a little broken by his own words.

I know it's not fair. He never gave anyone any reason to do that to us- to _him_ ," Allura agreed, anger and sorrow mingling in her expression. "These are unpredictable times, Lance, which is even more reason why I can't stand the thought of having you so far out of my sight.

“Ok, that’s the second time you’ve tried to make me stay. What’s this all about?” he tried to keep his voice from sounding annoyed. “You know, I’m not a little kid anymore. I can handle this.”

“I know, but you’re my brother, Lance. You’re the only family I have left here with me, and that’s just the thing. I can’t bear the thought that you might leave here and end up who knows where!”

“You mean, end up like Veronica?” There was pain in his voice when he said her name, and it made Allura wince. But Lance didn’t seem angry or sad, he just continued looking at her with concern. For just a moment, it reminded her of their father and she smiled.

“I’m sorry you weren’t made more aware of her plans. If I’m being honest, I’m scared for her too. But we both know that she does what she thinks is best.” Allura almost told Lance about her concerns, but when the potential consequences dawned on her, she abruptly changed her mind. It was likely that she was just overreacting, her stress and the Fire Nation’s betrayal weighing heavily on her mind, causing her to worry needlessly. She didn’t need to push that worry onto Lance as well. More than that, with Lance heading to the Earth Kingdom, there was a strong possibility that he would lose focus and go off looking for their sister if he was also suspicious about her whereabouts. She couldn’t lose Lance too. It sounded selfish to hear herself think it, but the truth was that she didn’t think she could handle this war on her own. She needed Lance here.

Lance shook his head. "Don't sweat it, Allura. She's fine now, right?" he asked. Allura wasn't sure if his smile was forced, so she just said nothing. "I'll be fine and back before you know it," Lance continued, “ I’m sure Veronica would say the same. There’s nothing to worry over.”

“Saying there’s nothing to worry over doesn’t make me worry less, you know?”

“I know.”

“But acknowledging my concern would make me feel a little better.”

“Ok, fine. I acknowledge that you, along with all of my other siblings, still think I’m seven and can’t do this. But I’m telling you, I can do things on my own. I’ve been doing things on my own for a long time, actually. Just because there’s a war doesn’t change that.”

“I know, you’re right. But one more thing--”

At that, Lance tossed himself backward onto his bed, “You’re a tough negotiator, aren’t you, Princess?”

“Oh good graces Lance, don’t call me that.”

“What? Princess?”

“I don’t believe you’ve ever addressed me as Princess before in your life.”

Lance laughed at that, “I think I have. But fine, what is your last request? You know, all this worry is going to give you premature wrinkles.”

To emphasize, he pulled himself up and poked her on her forehead, where the skin had been creasing from her furrowed brow. She pushed his hand away but smiled a little, “Lance, I’m being serious.”

“So am I,” he responded, poking her forehead again, “it wouldn’t take much to make you look like an old lady, you know. You already have the white hair.”

“Lance!” 

“Ok, but being serious, I need to do this. You’re acting like you’re alone trying to fill our Dad’s shoes but I’m here for you too. You don’t have to do this all yourself, let me help you. And stop trying to guilt me out of it.”

“I know--” Allura looked down at her hands. She knew she was being silly, but the ominous feeling she had wouldn’t let up. She knew, deep down, that it was just all her guilt and worry projecting itself on her brother, but she couldn’t help it. “I know you have to go, but you have to promise me something then, alright?”

Lance rolled his eyes, “I’ll stay close to Coran and I’ll have Hunk or Pidge or Keith with me at all times. Buddy system, I got it.”

“Well...yes, that too.”

“Allura!”

“Ok, sorry. But please promise me that you won’t go looking for Veronica while you’re away.”

“I--” Lance caught himself, “Wait, why?”

“Just...don't. Promise?”

Lance looked at her and his stomach dropped. That awful dread that had been simmering since the debriefing came back so hard he thought he might be sick. He knew for certain now that there was something she wasn’t telling him. Veronica might not even be in Carnalian, after all. But if he didn’t promise, he knew Allura wouldn’t let him leave, so this was something he’d have to deal with on his own. He swallowed hard, “I promise. Can we just...talk about something else?”

Lance flopped back down on his bed and tried to push his thoughts away for now. He had so many emotions to juggle, but it would have to be something he figured out later when Allura wasn’t around. Allura also flopped back on the mattress beside him, and let out a heavy sigh. They stared at the ceiling in silence for a few moments, then Allura spoke first,

“So you’ve decided to bring Keith to Balmera as well?”

“Did I say that? Forget I said anything,” Lance said quickly. Unfortunately, this only made Allura more insistent.

“No, I think that’s a good idea actually, you should take Keith. Having a Firebender--”

Lance cut her off with a loud groan, “It’s not that I don’t want to take him along, we’re just...not on speaking terms right now.”

At that, Allura propped herself up on an elbow so that she could properly execute a disapproving frown. Lance continued,

“Don’t give me that look! I’m trying, ok! It’s a stupid fight, you don’t have to worry.”

“I’m not worried, it’s just unlike you to pick fights with potential allies,” she stated. Lance answered with another groan. He was too embarrassed to tell her that Keith had the unusual ability to get under his skin.

“I’ll try talking to him again tomorrow,” he decided aloud, “Now can you please let me give you a mask? Your skin situation is stressing me out.”

Allura rolled her eyes but smiled, “My skin is flawless, thank you very much. But if you’re going to be dramatic about it, then fine.”

 

.   . .

 

“I swear, I tried!” Lance insisted, taking a sip of his juice and then leaning back in his chair, frowning. He had, for the most part, been able to quell his worries about his sisters. It was time for him to focus on less serious matters. He was at one of the long, wooden tables in the mess hall adjacent to the ship’s galley, having breakfast with Pidge and Hunk. They were alone, since nearly all of the Northerners were living off the ships by now. “The second he saw me there, he came at me all serious and intense and scary like he was about to murder me! And then yesterday when I was trying to train, he pops up there, too, and then starts beating the crap out of one of the training dummies! Like, I get it, you want to kick my ass, I don’t need a demonstration!” Lance complained. “He’s _following me_ just to make it clear that he hates me!”

“I don’t know if he _hates_ you,” Pidge said slowly, stirring her tea and sharing a glance with Hunk. “From what he’s said to me, he just finds you confusing.”

“And his solution to being confused is to burn my head off, apparently,” Lance grumbled.

“Has he even bent at you since the fight?” Pidge challenged, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, no, not _at_ me. Just _around_ me. But like I said, he’s always so _aggressive_ whenever I see him now!” Lance complained, stabbing a bit of pancake as he frowned to himself.

“You just need to be nice to him a little bit first so he isn’t on the defensive,” Hunk advised, “and it’ll work out from there. Hopefully, at least…”

The three continued to eat in silence, Lance not looking any happier. He didn’t notice another presence in the room until Hunk sighed.

“Alright, so you’re going to really really hate me for this right now, but I promise you’ll thank me in the long run. I hope,” Hunk told Lance in a hushed voice, his words rushed. “Keith!” he called before Lance even had a chance to stop him. Lance’s eyes went wide. He stared with mortification at Hunk’s smiling face, watching him motion someone over. Slowly, Lance glanced over his shoulder to the entrance from the galley. There Keith was, holding a tray of food and giving Hunk a bit of an unsure smile as he weakly returned his wave. Lance turned back to Hunk and glared. Hunk just grinned back at him even wider. Lance frowned and sighed, staring resolutely down at his plate as Keith took the spot across from him, beside Hunk.

“Hey,” Keith said, trying just as hard to avoid looking at Lance as Lance was to avoid looking at him.

“Morning,” Hunk said cheerfully as Pidge gave a little nod of acknowledgment. Lance ignored him in favor of pouting. Pidge kicked him under the table.

“Quit it!” growled Lance, and Keith’s face fell as he looked between the two of them. 

“Oh,” Keith said flatly. “Should I just..?” he asked, glancing over at the empty table on the other side of the room. He should have figured that Lance wouldn’t want him here. He had just hoped that maybe things would blow over.

“It’s not you,” Lance grumbled. “She’s just kicking me under the table ‘cause she wants me to be nice to you.”

“A notion which I was _attempting_ to convey subtly,” glared Pidge. Lance stuck his tongue out at her, though Keith looked less than amused.

“Don’t bother with it,” he told Pidge. “I don’t _want_ you to be nice to me if people have to beat you up to do it,” he added to Lance with a glare. “If you don’t want me around, fine.”

“Well, maybe I wouldn’t mind having you around if you weren’t so pissed off all the time!” Lance retorted, “Every time I see you it’s all clenched fists and fire and death glares!”

“I don’t do death glares! This is just my face!” Keith told him. “And I only firebent at you once!”

“Yeah, and almost killed me!” 

“You bent first!” Keith accused, “and you’re exaggerating!”

“Mmhm, and then you were bending yesterday at the training grounds-”

“I was _training!”_

_“_ Menacingly!” Lance accused.

“I’m not _trying_ to be menacing, I can’t help it if you’re scared of me!” Keith said, now starting to get visibly angry.

“I’m not _scared_ of you!” Lance said, voice much louder than it should be for being so close. He pushed his chair back and stood up, hands braced on the table. “Is _that_ what you think this is? Have all of these things just been intimidation tactics?” he demanded, pointing his fork at Keith accusingly. Keith stood up as well, matching Lance’s glare.

“I just said I’m _not_ trying to intimidate you! I’m _trying_ to talk to you but you just run away from me every time I do!” Keith told him. “Now quit _pointing_ at me and accusing me of things that I’m _not even doing,_ ” he told Lance through gritted teeth. 

“Uh, guys..?” Hunk tried, but Pidge shook her head.

“You knew the risks,” she told him sagely. “Just let them have their...discussion…” 

The two were completely ignored.

“I’m not going to stop pointing until you admit that you’re following me around looking like you’re on a warpath!” Lance said, shaking his fork for emphasis.

Keith growled with frustration and reached for one of his utensils as well, not breaking eye contact. Much to his dismay, he ended up grabbing a sausage off his plate instead. Still, he pointed it at Lance, hoping not to let on that it had indeed been a mistake. “I’ve been following you around trying to _talk_ to you, but you won’t even give me the chance! I’m not being _intimidating,_ you’re just trying to find ways to blame me for not wanting to talk to me because I made you lose that fight,” Keith insisted, jabbing the sausage towards him for emphasis. Alright, it was a low blow, but he was feeling petty now. Lance knew it, too, judging by the way his eyes widened in shock for a split second before narrowing to glare once more.

“I did NOT lose! You cheated!” Lance cried.

“You cheated first! You couldn’t keep up with me and you know it!” Keith shouted right back, brandishing the sausage at him before slamming it down on the table. “I beat you and you know it, and now I can’t even talk to you just because you forced me to bend at you, _forced_ me to be the ‘mean scary Firebender’ just to justify-” Keith started to rant, not realizing that his anger was triggering his bending.

“I’m not _scared_!” Lance insisted, “I’m pissed off! I’m not scared of you or your flaming sausage!” he shouted. Keith’s glare gave way to a look of confusion for a moment, until he glanced down and cursed when he realized what he was doing. He gave a short wave of his free hand, guiding the flame away from its source so he would be able to dissipate it, but he never got the chance. Lance let out a yelp the instant he saw Keith start to bend, and immediately flung the remainder of his juice at the other. Keith blinked as the fruity liquid dripped from his bangs. Lance blinked back, a slow grimace crossing over his face as Keith’s expression darkened.

“I sense that I have made a mistake,” Lance stated, bracing himself for the consequences.

Keith stood there in confusion, still weighing his options. There weren’t any options, though, not really. This ended here. He had been forcing himself not to react to Lance like he wanted, forcing himself to bottle up his emotions, and he was _finished_ with it. He let out a shout, throwing the dripping sausage right at Lance’s face, and immediately the table erupted into chaos. Lance cried out, quickly retaliating with a well-aimed pancake that knocked Keith’s own drink out of his hand before he had a chance to douse Lance with it. Keith sent his eggs flying across the table, and handfuls of Lance’s cereal pelted him in reply. 

“Hunk! Back me up!” Lance called as he was forced to use his plate as a shield against Keith’s assaults. Hunk looked hesitant, but Pidge was already grinning and using her spoon to fling fruit preserves at Lance. 

“Fair’s fair, I’m on Keith’s side!” she declared gleefully. Keith slid her the remainder of his bowl of dried berries, accepting her alliance. Hunk shrugged in acceptance, then began his own brutal attacks, flinging oatmeal across the table. 

“We need more ammo!” Keith called out. “Go loose, Pidge!” 

Lance let out an indignant cry as he watched his opponents cover their retreat back to the galley. He darted after them, hurling handfuls of soggy cereal and narrowly avoiding slipping in a particularly precarious jam puddle.

They were all too busy laughing and shouting to notice when Allura entered the room, eyes wide with disbelief.

“What is happening here?” she demanded, though only Hunk paid her any mind. 

“Uh, well, Keith and Pidge have an armory, so I’m pretty sure they’re cheating, so Lance went on an infiltration mission, and I-” he cut himself off when Allura just crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. She snatched the rest of Hunk’s oatmeal off the table. 

“Enough!” she shouted, marching directly into the galley with one hand outstretched, the oatmeal now floating before her like a shield. 

“Allura!” Lance perked up when he saw her. “You can be on my team!” he declared.

“All of you, stop this!” Allura demanded, making a swift jerking motion with her hand that sent the oatmeal shooting out in three directions, hitting Lance, Keith, and Pidge squarely in the faces.

“ _My_ team means you don’t _hit_ me!” Lance complained, pouting as he wiped the oatmeal off. The other two guiltily dropped their would-be projectiles, muttering their apologies. Allura sighed and put her hands on her hips. 

“What is the meaning of this? You’re wasting our supplies and making a mess of my ship!” 

“Keith was shaking his sausage at me!” Lance accused, trying very hard to keep a straight face now that he realized how ridiculous it sounded.

“Sorry, Princess,” Keith told her. “We just...had a dumb fight and it got out of hand.” He glanced at the other two. “You guys go, I’ll clean it up.”

Lance frowned slightly. “But I juiced you, I can-” he started.

“Lance. It’s fine, I’ve got it,” Keith promised. Lance still looked a bit reluctant to leave, but Pidge guided him away with a tug on his sleeve, sending Keith a salute as she passed. He huffed a laugh and returned the gesture. They may be in a bit of trouble, but he had to admit that it had been sort of fun while it lasted. 

 

Once the rest of the team were out of the room, Allura let out a deep sigh. She watched the Firebender sop up the juice and soggy eggs from the table, his hair dripping wet and eyes downcast, and her expression softened a bit. She’d been spending so much time with Shiro during his recovery that she felt like she already knew Keith, but it dawned on her then that they hadn’t actually had a chance to speak. 

“You know, Keith, I don’t believe we’ve properly met,” she said formally, walking up to the other side of the table. Keith looked a little frantic as he met her gaze, so she tried to give him her most inviting smile.

“I’m really sorry about this, Princess Allura. It won’t happen again I--”

“I’m sorry that our first conversation has been preceded by a wad of oatmeal to the face. You don’t need to apologize to me,” she said.

Keith gave a little smile to that, the aforementioned oatmeal still clinging to his hair and running in globs down his shirt. Without thinking, Allura giggled, letting her formal facade slip for just a moment.

“Ok, well, I’m sure you’ve got really important things to get to, I’ll take care of this mess. It’s my fault anyway, I think.”

Allura shook her head, already helping clear the table, “You didn’t have to take responsibility for this, you know. I saw enough to know that Lance had a fair share of the blame.”

The mention of Lance made Keith visibly uncomfortable, and he scoffed without thinking, “Yeah, well. Don’t need to give him more reason to hate me right now.”

“Are the two of you still fighting?”

Keith met Allura’s knowing gaze and wondered how she found out. If this stupid fight had made it all the way up the ranks to the Princess of the Northern Water Tribe, then it had definitely gotten out of hand now. He cringed at the idea of being made an outcast over something so trivial, cursing himself for not just apologizing three times over when he had the chance.

“It’s so....ugh,” Keith hid his face in his hands, the dread digging in deeper still. He wondered if Shiro knew as well, since Allura spent so much time overseeing his recovery. He imagined the two of them discussing Keith like an unruly child; so much for his dignity. “I’m just an idiot and I should have just ended it by now, but every time I see Lance I just--”

“Lose your temper?” Allura guessed.

“Lose my nerve,” he corrected, though she wasn’t entirely wrong. “Though it’s really hard to try and talk to someone who is actively avoiding you.”

Allura nodded at that, “Shiro may have mentioned to me that you’re not really a people person, are you?”

“Definitely not.”

“Well, Lance can be pretty frustrating sometimes, take it from me. But my intuition says that he doesn’t hate you. He can just be a little...dramatic.”

Keith watched Allura out of the corner of his eye, trying to decide how much of himself he should lay out about this. On one hand, Keith was a naturally reserved person. He didn’t like getting personal or airing his dirty laundry, especially to those that outranked him. But on the other, what did he have to lose? Anything that he might say now couldn’t possibly condemn him further in what he imagined was a very dismal picture of himself in her eyes. After a few moments, he sighed, “When Shiro and I washed up here, Lance was so...kind, and I’ve only made a mess of things in return. I just...I guess I just want him to like me? I’m not trying to be so unlikeable. But I’m not good at talking to people so...here we are.”

Allura’s silence that followed made him immediately regret saying anything at all. In the minutes that felt like hours afterward, Keith quickly finished cleaning up and made to leave. He mumbled a goodbye, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him from leaving.

In truth, what Keith said resonated with Allura in a way that gave her a new kind of respect for the Firebender. Being a leader and role model for her people, she always felt a kind of distance from others that was isolating and cold. Though she’d always had Lance, Veronica, Coran, and her father, she knew what it was like to just want people to _like_ you. She gave Keith’s arm a little squeeze, “I know Lance. I have a good feeling that you’re both on the same side with this.”

Keith returned her smile and nodded. When she let him go, he lingered for just a few moments, unsure if he should say something in return. But it was Allura who spoke again,

“And Keith, I apologize for how I acted before. I want you to know that I’m grateful to have you and Shiro on our side. I trust that you’re both trying to do the right things.”

“Thank you, but you don’t need to apologize to me,” he responded, mirroring her own words from earlier.

 

.   . .

 

 

After showering, Lance was filled with new resolve. This time, for sure, he was going to apologize to Keith. He felt like all his pent up anger had been thrown along with breakfast, so making up to Keith had already become a lot easier from there. Besides, they had had so much fun fighting, Lance could only imagine what it would be like if they were actually getting along. It was a cathartic feeling as he approached Keith’s door for the third time this week. Unfortunately, his knocks went unanswered. After nearly ten minutes of waiting, he began to feel like maybe the Firebender _was_ still mad at him, probably pouting after being made to clean up alone. Lance knew that he took obscenely long showers, especially when he was attempting to flush a stray bit of scrambled egg from his ear. There was no way Keith wasn’t done with cleanup by now.

Keith had been intercepted by an anxious Hunk and Pidge after leaving the mess hall. They had both seemed surprised and relieved when he assured them that Allura wasn’t actually mad, and then the pair had dragged him off to let him get cleaned up in the village while they scavenged for new clothes. Now that Keith was returning to his room, he was a little surprised to see Lance there again, though he should have expected it at this point. Lance hadn’t noticed Keith yet, and was instead pleading with his door. 

“Come on, I just need to talk! You can’t _actually_ hate me that much!” he groaned, pouting intensely as he folded his arms over his chest. “ _Keeeeeith!_ Look, Mullet, I can stand out here and annoy you all day until you come talk to me!”  


“Um...what are you doing?” Keith asked, causing Lance to whip around and flail his arms, letting out a shout that Keith thought it was best to not bring up.

“What are _you_ doing!” Lance demanded, his voice higher than usual, “you were supposed to be in there!” he told Keith, gesturing dramatically at the room. Keith felt a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“I _do_ emerge, sometimes,” Keith informed him, rolling his eyes a bit. He caught himself, though, softening his tone to try and avoid making things worse again. “Have you...been here long?” he asked, hoping Lance’s frustration was just due to waiting and not actually directed at him.  


Lance, who had been speaking with Keith’s door for nearly fifteen minutes now, shook his head. “Just got here. Guess I’ve got good timing.” He sighed. “Listen, man-”

“I’m sorry,” Keith said, the words tumbling from his lips with surprising ease. “I got out of control out there, and I know it might have looked like I was trying to hurt you, but I need you to believe me that I wasn’t, I just got-...”

“Fired up?” Lance offered automatically. Keith blinked at him, and Lance laughed, and just like that, Keith knew that everything was going to be okay.

“I was expecting you to fight back! You started bending, so I started bending, which would have been fine if you hadn’t _stopped bending_!” Keith told him, sounding more confused than accusing. 

“I-....” Lance started, biting his lip and looking up and down the hallway. “I’m not... _good_ ,” he confessed quietly after confirming that they were alone. Keith frowned slightly, noticing Lance’s apparent need for privacy. He opened his door and gestured for Lance to follow him inside. Lance sighed, but followed, closing the door behind him.

“What do you mean, you’re not good?” Keith asked. “Yeah, you didn’t bend when you should have, but when you did...I saw that fancy fire deflection technique you used. When you _did_ bend, it was great.”

“I don’t know how I did that! All of that bending, I didn’t do it on purpose! I wasn’t even trying to bend at all when it happened the first time! And after that...I mean...I was trying to bend, yeah...but it’s like I have no control of when it works, or _how_ it works…” Lance huffed and shook his head. “You said you were sorry that it looked like you were trying to hurt me...honestly, I came to say the same. I was trying to do _something_ to defend myself, but I wasn’t in full control of what I did. If I had been, I wouldn’t have fought so dirty.” He gave Keith a sheepish look. “I...guess I just didn’t want to admit that I’m a shitty Waterbender and have you pity me like everyone else does.”

“I don’t pity you,” Keith said with a slight frown. “I just think you should have been honest with me. You could have gotten hurt just because I didn’t realize…”

“It’s not really something I like to admit if I don’t have to,” sighed Lance. “I don’t know, I guess I thought maybe it would be different. I’ve been training with Matt, I’ve been practicing my stances since I was a kid...I don’t get it! Technically, all my forms are _perfect!”_ Lance said.

“None of your bending actually happened when you were using any forms...none that I’m aware of, anyway,” Keith observed absently. Lance pouted at him.

“You weren’t using proper forms, either!” he accused, “which made you _real_ hard to counter, by the way.”

Keith smirked slightly. “I know,” he said, a mischievous spark in his eye.

Lance laughed. “Alright, I’ll make you a deal. Because, call me crazy, but I actually think you and I could be friends,” he told Keith. “So...we’ll be honest with each other from now on, okay?” he suggested, and Keith nodded, fighting back a smile, “and you will _never_ use your crazy improvised flame-tornado Firebending on me again.”

Keith couldn’t help but laugh, “Yeah, that’s reasonable.”

They almost shook on it, but then Lance raked his hand through his hair, looking flushed, “And uh...so this might be a little weird. I know I have Matt and Pidge and Hunk and a million other waterbenders I could ask, but nothing has ever worked for me and I just...I’m at my wit's end. Anyway, could I ask you for something, too?”

Keith nodded without even having to think about it, “Just get to your point, Lance.”

“Well I’ve never trained with a Firebender before, so might as well try everything, right? What I’m trying to say is, would you help me become a better bender? I think if I have you helping me train, things might be different this time, hopefully.”

Keith smiled a little and stuck out his hand, which made Lance’s sheepish demeanor dissipate suddenly into a beaming smile. As they shook on it, Keith tried to ignore the fluttering in his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to come hang out with us on Tumblr!
> 
> [DanceParty's Tumblr](https://senpaiinspace.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [FlamingBentley's Tumblr](http://fangirlwithanerfgun.tumblr.com/)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is doing His Best.

The South Pole had all but vanished, its structures covered in a thick layer of snow and its inhabitants huddled up inside, seeking shelter from the storm. It had snowed two feet in as many days, and didn’t appear to be letting up. The only sign of life was a single figure cutting through the center of town, a swirling vortex of flurries around them as the storm raged on. 

Matt’s departure had been delayed twice now, and he had given up on his attempts to keep all of the main walkways clear of snow just after lunch yesterday. His airbending was the only thing allowing him to travel freely now, clearing a path for himself on his way through the snow.

“I s-should have b-been a Firebender,” Matt declared to himself, teeth chattering once he finally ducked inside the healer’s main building near the center of town. Shivering, he passed by the fireplace at the center of the structure as one of the healers gave him a bemused look.

“You’re still visiting? In this weather?” she asked him with a small smile.

“I’m back to check up on my favorite patient and his noble caretakers,” Matt said with a wink. “Besides, I’ve got a special delivery, compliments of the Prince and Princess,” he added as he pulled an insulated container from the inside of his coat, presenting it with a flourish. The South was generally pretty isolated from trade, so Matt had yet to meet anyone who hadn’t gone wild at their first taste of hot chocolate. He let the healers and the few patients who still remained from the Fire Nation attack enjoy the treat as he continued to the back of the structure, pushing aside a curtain and stepping into a small private section.

“Isn’t there a blizzard outside?” Shiro asked, smiling as he propped himself up on his pillow. Matt waved his hand dismissively. 

“A little bit of snow is no match for me!”

“There’s an icicle in your hair.”

“You haven’t heard? They’re all the rage here. Besides, you’ve got a whole  _ white section  _ in yours now, so I think we’re even.” 

Shiro huffed a laugh and reached up, running his hand through the white tuft of bangs. “Not by choice. It’s the weirdest thing. I’ve never heard of burnt hair growing back white.”

“I think you’re just getting old,” Matt stated, then broke out in a grin when Shiro sent him an unamused look. “Really, though, I wonder if it’s just something about that weapon. It does sound like spirit magic,” he admitted, “but I’ve never heard of any Avatar suddenly getting white hair from exposure...though it might be different when the power is concentrated,” he reasoned. 

Shiro sighed. He was already well aware of the connections that Allura had made between the weapon and the Avatar. “Honestly, all I know is what I reported. It wasn’t even being used properly when it exploded. It was just a malfunction. I was trying to disable it, but...I’m not you,” he told Matt with a slight smile. “You might have been able to just shut the thing down, but I had no idea what all the pipes and screws and tubes do. If I had known the destruction I would cause...and how obvious it was that I was the one causing it-,” Shiro trailed off, looking down at the blankets.

“Hey,” Matt said softly. “You’re a hero for what you did. Maybe not to the Fire Nation, sure...and, yeah, they’re keeping the whole thing kinda hushed, but... _ I  _ know what you did,” he added with a grin. “You have no idea how glad I am that I’ve got such exquisite taste in Fire Nation boys.”

“About that…” Shiro frowned thoughtfully to himself. “I’m not the only one, am I? You and I lost contact, but you told Allura that you’ve got other contacts in the Fire Nation. I need to know what happened there after I left.”

“I-...haven’t had contact with my operative there since the attack on the North,” Matt told Shiro carefully. “Any information we’d want to know from them would take more than just a letter, it would mean a trip into the Fire Nation.

Shiro hesitated, looking down at his remaining hand before meeting Matt’s eye, a haunted expression on his face. “I thought I was going to die when Keith found me,” he admitted quietly. “I was able to get myself out of the rubble and hide in a nearby cave, but...I had no way of getting in contact with anyone for help. I don’t even know what base Adam was stationed at. All of his orders - all of  _ most  _ people’s orders in the last few months - were  _ strictly _ classified. Not like I would have been able to get a secret message through to him anyway even if I had known where to send it. I couldn’t risk that. Keith, though...he was stationed under me on base, so he knew about the blast right away. He told me that he tried to find me to make sure I was alright, not realizing it was my fault, and was ordered back to his room -  _ him  _ specifically, not everyone. He says that people questioned him, basically trying to figure out if he was an accomplice, or in on whatever  _ plot _ they thought I had. When they realized that he and I honestly hadn’t been in close contact, they let him go. He snuck out and ran away to find me right after,” Shiro recounted. “But... _ Adam, _ ” he added softly, his expression going sad and distant. “If they suspected Keith, I can’t imagine the kind of scrutiny he’s under.  I need to know that they didn’t-”

“I understand,” Matt cut him off. “Like I said, I hadn’t heard anything from the Fire Nation about the aftermath of the weapon being destroyed. I...don’t know what happened to Adam,” he added carefully, “but I’ll do my best to find out.”

Shiro looked at him and gave him a sad smile, nodding once. “Thank you,” he said. Matt sighed and flashed him a quick smile that didn’t reach his eyes, and Shiro’s gaze turned skeptical as he looked up at his friend. 

“You know something,” Shiro observed.

Matt took a breath, his face carefully neutral. “I can’t tell you.”

“Matt, I have to know, I-”

“ _ Shiro.  _ I need you to trust me. I know the kind of things that can happen if people get the wrong information at the wrong time. I know the kind of things I could  _ cause _ if I let something slip. People trust me because I don’t tell more about them than I should, I don’t lie, and I don’t tell people things that will get people hurt.”

“You can’t just refuse to tell me! Matt, it’s  _ Adam. _ ”

“I  _ know.  _ I know it’s important, and I promise that I will tell you what you need to know once I’m sure I’m giving you correct information at the right time. You just need to trust me until then,” Matt said gently. “Come on, Shiro,” he smiled, “have I ever steered you wrong before?”

“Well, actually…” Shiro started throughtfully, but he smiled and shook his head at the scandalized look Matt threw his way. “You’re right. I trust you. Always have.” Shiro sighed and tried to convince himself that it was good enough. He had to believe that if Matt couldn’t tell him something, it was for a good reason. He tried to push it out of his mind. 

“I know this is getting less and less dramatic each time,” Matt teased, changing the subject to stop Shiro from dwelling on it, “but I’m hoping that  _ this _ is actually goodbye.”

“Third time’s the charm?” Shiro questioned, quirking an eyebrow. 

“I honestly don’t know how much more snow the sky could possibly hold at this point!” Matt complained. “We are going to end this war and then I am going to retire to the Fire Nation where it is always sunny and warm!”

“Oh, and I’m the one getting old? At least I’m not making retirement plans.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll find you a nice old folks home by my beach house so I can stop by and visit you,” Matt decided, making Shiro roll his eyes. 

“On second thought, I’m not sure if you’ve matured a bit since I first met you,” he decided, shaking his head fondly. 

“I am delightful and you know it,” insisted Matt, “which is why I know you’re going to miss me terribly. Don’t lose too much sleep over it, though. You still have a lot of healing up to do before I see you up North.”

“Shouldn’t be too much longer now...and if the snow keeps up, I might be ready to go again before you leave.”

“Well now you’re just saying that because you clearly want to accompany me. I know, vacation with your very best friend sounds irresistible,” teased Matt, “but if I’ve learned anything about you, it’s that you are  _ not _ cut out for stealth missions.”

Shiro’s face immediately morphed into a pout. “That was one time, we had just met!” he defended himself uselessly as Matt burst out laughing. 

“ _ Everything _ was burning, Curtains! There was absolutely  _ no _ salvaging that!”

“It wouldn’t have been  _ everything  _ if  _ someone _ hadn’t been fanning the flames!”

“I was trying to put  _ out  _ the burning beacon of our transgressions!”

“They brought that up in my interview to become a General, you know,” Shiro informed Matt, who only laughed harder. Shiro himself was doing his best to look annoyed, though he was clearly holding back a smile.

“General Curtains,” Matt mused. “It has a lovely, authoritative ring to it.” Shiro rolled his eyes at his friend, but he had to admit that his spirits were always brightened when he had visitors here. Matt stayed and chatted for a while, pretending not to notice when Shiro’s eyes drooped closed as his energy was exhausted once more. The storm finally settled down as Shiro did, and Matt murmured one last goodbye before slipping out into the night.

. . .

The sun rose over a glistening landscape the next morning, the air clear and crisp as the final items were packed into the small boat that would bring Matt back to the Air Temple. Allura, Lance, and Hunk were each sending him with a few messages in carefully sealed scrolls, as well as more than enough rations to make the journey. Keith had tagged along as well, knowing that at least he should be there to see Matt off, since Shiro couldn’t. He and Pidge helped check the small craft for supplies and general safety once more before launch, Pidge sporting a small frown the whole time. Matt teased her for it before hugging her goodbye, and Lance honestly thought that he might have to pry the two apart. He thought back to his conversation with his own sister and sighed to himself. It was one thing to have to part ways when the world was at peace, but all this uncertainty made it so much worse. He placed a hand on Pidge’s shoulder as Matt set sail, leaving the five of them on the icy shore, waving until he was out of sight.

Pidge sighed and slumped slightly against Lance’s side, and Lance looked down at her sympathetically. She must really be upset if she wasn’t brushing off what she would usually call ‘touchy-feely’ behavior. She did not share Lance and Hunk’s appreciation for cuddling.

They started to walk back together, Lance and Hunk exchanging a glance. Hunk cleared his throat and spoke first.

“So...Pidge and I have been working on something pretty cool,” he started, making Pidge perk up slightly. “It’s a sled, basically, but with an engine so that it can go really fast. It’s definitely still a prototype, but I think it’s really got some potential,” he said, and Pidge nodded in agreement.

“We haven’t been able to test it fully due to the storm, but all this fresh snow…” she looked down, feeling the snow crunch under her boot. “It’s awesome packing snow. Which means it would compress and form the  _ perfect  _ surface sledding!”

Hunk nodded enthusiastically. “Right! That’s what I was thinking! So, you guys up for it?” he asked, glancing at the others.

Keith bit his lip, casting a quick look at Lance. He knew they were technically made up now, but he still didn’t want to intrude. Lance might not be mad at him anymore, but he didn’t know if the other actually wanted to hang out with him. Before Keith could excuse himself, Lance groaned and shook his head.

“I’d love to guys, but me and Allura have way too much to do. The leaders here are...not exactly seeing eye to eye with us on some things,” he grumbled, sharing a look with Allura. She also let out a frustrated sigh.

“Though they approve of my plans to return to the North, they are being a bit stubborn about their own situation. I understand being reluctant to leave their home under  _ normal  _ circumstances, but we have no way of knowing if that battleship the Fire Nation sent will be the only attack,” she said with a frown.

“Right. We came all the way down here to protect them, and we’re leaving them vulnerable again if we just leave. Not to mention that we need as many people as we can if we’re going to need to fight to take the North back,” Lance said, clearly sharing in his sister’s frustrations. “We’re trying to work with them to convince them to come with us. We’re stronger together. But anyway, Keith, why don’t you go with them?” Lance asked, glancing over at the Firebender with a soft smile. “Trust me, they make some awesome stuff, you’ll have fun.”

Keith looked back at him and blinked, but soon he was smiling as well. “I...um, yeah, alright,” he decided, prompting Pidge to laugh and high-five Hunk. Keith smiled wider at all three of them. It felt nice to be included, especially with Lance’s encouragement. The other was basically offering to share his friends, inviting Keith into their little group. It certainly didn’t feel like he was holding any grudges, especially with the way Lance was grinning at him. 

“You guys go easy on him, he hasn’t had to deal with one of your contraptions before,” Lance teased.

“Actually, I got here on Pidge and Matt’s raft,” Keith pointed out a bit smugly, quirking an eyebrow at Lance.

“He did excellent for a first-timer,” Pidge confirmed with a nod, “he only puked twice!” 

Keith’s expression soured, “I did not!” he said, glaring over at her as the rest of the group burst into laughter. Even Allura couldn’t help but giggle politely behind her hand. 

. . .

Pidge and Hunk had spent an entire three days of the blizzard stranded in Hunk’s hut, and during that time they had been very busy. With Matt’s departure looming, Pidge focused all her nervous energy on the monstrosity that she and Hunk now struggled to remove from the hut. She couldn’t take all of the credit, though, because Hunk was the only person she knew that could rival her with his creativity and resourcefulness. She had to admit, though Matt was her equal when it came to analytics and complex theory, they were sometimes too synchronized, which led to a lack of invention. That’s when she relied on Hunk to pull her out of what he benevolently referred to as “The Holt Perspective.” Their favorite pastime quickly became bringing to life some of their wildest inventions.

Keith watched from a distance as the pair struggled in the snow with the oversized “sled.” Much like the boat-thing that Pidge and Matt had first discovered him in, this contraption was also a mystery. It was crafted from stone and metal, with an elongated front section and elevated back. It looked heavy, too heavy to stay on top of the fresh layer of snow, except that it rested on two long, flat metal blades affixed to the underside.

“You’re really going to get on that thing?” he said, inching a little closer for a better look. Hunk clapped him on the back.

“ _ You’re _ going to ride it,” Hunk replied. He smoothed a hand over an indentation at the front of the sled, right after two angled hand-holes. “This is where you’ll sit, as the pilot. It’s made for up to two people, so Pidge or I can climb on back.”

“After a few adjustments, that is.” Pidge’s voice came from underneath the hull of the sled, where she had fitted herself already. Keith could hear her rummaging around down there and wondered what kind of contraption could possibly be concealed beneath the smooth stone exterior.

“I’m going to  _ pilot _ it? It’s your... _ thing _ , why aren’t you driving?” Keith said. He heard Pidge sigh and moments later she was rolling back out from underneath, looking up at him with a blank stare.

“Keith, I specialize in creating mechanisms powered by bending. It would be a little hard for me to power them...seeing as I’m a non-bender.”

Keith blushed a little at his own ignorance. He had assumed that Pidge was an Airbender like her brother, but now that she mentioned it, he’d never seen her bend.  “Ok, what about Hunk?”

“We actually designed this sled to be powered by waterbending. There’s a chamber on the inside, so that they can push water through the engine to move it. While designing it, we did go over the possibility of an engine with multi-bending functionality, so I think it’s easily configured to work with your bending, but Hunk’s isn’t going to work.” Pidge explained as she was elbow deep in the arm holes above the front seat.

“Why not?” Keith argued, still eyeing the craft suspiciously, “If the engine is also made up of rock shouldn’t he be able to move it just the same?”

“ No can do. The engine's made up of metal, not rock," Hunk told him. "I know about the rumors, Earthbenders who say they can bend metal, but I've never seen anyone actually pull it off. If we ended up making one of these for an Earthbender, we could probably switch out the moving components to stone, but that's not as durable," Hunk continued, a thoughtful look on his face as he considered the craft. “Either way, Earthbending is better suited for building things rather than powering them. And I don’t mean to brag, but this hull might be my best work. I worked really hard on carving it to be as smooth as possible. It helps with the aerodynamics.”

Keith reached out and ran a hand along the angled front end. The stone was ice cold but perfectly smooth. He wasn’t familiar with Earthbender tech, but this was unmistakably well crafted. It made him wonder what Earth Kingdom cities must be like.

Pidge finished tweaking things under the hood and pushed herself back on the seat. She gave Keith a smug look as he continued to stare at their invention. She had a feeling that this might be the best vehicle she’s come up with yet, so there was no way she was missing its maiden voyage. She patted the length of seat in front of her, “Ok, so are you getting on, or are you still too  _ scared _ ?”

Keith, always one to rise to a challenge, climbed on without any further hesitation, “Fine, let’s do this.”

“Oh man, no bribes or anything!” Pidge cheered, making Keith cross his arms defensively.

“You’re making me think I should take it back.”

“No, no, don’t listen to her. It’s just that Lance usually tests this stuff for us as a way to get out of chores, or in exchange for us sneaking him out of some meeting or something. But it’s fun anyways,” Hunk explained. Keith huffed a laugh.

“So he’s  _ always  _ in meetings, not just because of the attack?”

“Yes and no,” Hunk said. “He doesn’t like meetings because they’re too impersonal, so he’s always looking for a way out of it. Not that he’s not trying to do his job or anything, they’re just boring and hardly ever productive. It’s much easier to meet with people one on one over lunch or something, I’m sure Lance would agree.”

“It’s good that there’s someone helping the Princess, though,” Keith reasoned. So...maybe Lance  _ had _ actually been busy and not avoiding him quite as much as Keith thought? That was nice to know. After all, it  _ did _ make sense that a diplomat like Lance would find himself busiest at times like these.

“Well yeah,” Pidge added, “he just knows better than to wake Allura’s wrath. Now come on, let’s see how she handles.”

After Pidge walked Keith through the mechanics, he felt his initial reservations fade as adrenaline took over. His fire, which he kept going at a steady pace, made the inside engine purr as the water tank inside heated up. The speed was controlled by how much heat went in, and movement was directed by leaning left or right. There was an anchor brake on the back end that either he or Pidge could lower or raise via a lever. Much to Pidge’s delight, Keith picked up on driving it quicker than she imagined. He was a natural at controlling the speed by adjusting his bending as needed, and the rest was just navigating the open tundra.

Keith took them along the coast travelling westward, using the hunting trail villagers had carved out for generations. The Southern Water Tribe’s village was nestled in a sloping valley facing the sea. The hills of ice and packed snow surrounding it also insulated it from the sweeping winds that blew across the desert to the North. The trail sloped gently upwards, skirting the mountain where it met the sea with a steep cliff. From there, they could see for miles on a bright clear day like today. The sea was calm and endless, blending with the sky where it touched the horizon. The gentle waves lapped at the cliffside to form swirling white foam all along the rocky craigs. 

Ahead to the west, past the expanse of white fields stood an ancient treeline of frozen pines. The dark, barren trunks against the stark white backdrop of snow was breathtakingly beautiful. Even though the cold hurt his face as they zipped through the trails, Keith understood now why people choose to live in such a harsh place. His homeland didn’t have wide open land like this, not really. Occasionally, an erupting volcano would flatten out a forested area, but otherwise it was all giant trees and dense jungles. Though his islands were beautiful in their own right, Keith had lived most of his life an orphan in the military academy, a stark place of gray metal and stone. He’d never seen a wilderness quite like this.

The sled gained speed as they began sloping down the cliffside towards the trees. As carefully as he could, Keith angled them over the hills, though the handling was rough. Then he heard Pidge gasp sharply from behind him, her arms tightening around his waist.

“Watch out!” she shouted, and Keith could see the sharp drop off ahead of them as they slid downwards.

Keith stopped bending in order for the engine to cool, slowing their descent, but it wasn’t enough. The sled had gained enough momentum to continue forward. 

“I can’t stop,” he said as calmly as he could. He saw Pidge go for the brake lever but stopped her, reasoning that a sudden brake might throw them tumbling towards the ravine. He had his eye on a rock that sloped up from the snow just before the edge.

“I’m going to crash it!” he shouted to Pidge, “you need to roll off,  _ now _ .”

Pidge gave the back of his head a bewildered look, “Are you insane? Just jump with me and- and I can build a new one!”

Keith shook his head, “I’ve got this, just  _ go _ .”

Pidge gave one more look at the ravine before pushing off and plunging into the snow. Whatever Keith was planning, there was a high probability that failure would end in fatalities, but she hardly had time to argue. She would just have to trust that Keith knew what he was doing.

Keith, on the other hand, was no stranger to near-death scenarios. His adrenaline gave him sharp focus as he strategically positioned the sled towards the outcropping. Just before he would crash headlong against the rocks, he spun the sled sideways and yanked down the brake. Just as he thought, the craft jerked violently as the heavy stone anchor scraped into the snow. Keith felt himself fling into the air, colliding with the rocks heavily before rolling into the snow.

Keith woke to a pair of brilliantly blue eyes. He reached up for the face they belonged to, stopping just before his fingers touched as his senses returned to him and he realized it was Lance’s face. Awkwardly, he curled his fingers into a loose fist and let it drop, but Lance didn’t seem to notice.

“He’s waking!” Lance exclaimed. They were inside, where he was much warmer than he remembered being just moments ago. His hands and face were burning as they adjusted to the heat. He was on a small cot in the cozy wooden building he recognized as the hospital. When Lance turned back to him, he watched a small smile grow on the Waterbender’s features as he stared, a bit slack-jawed and disoriented.

Lance was blocking his view of the rest of the room, but he heard Shiro’s voice and it broke him from his daze, “Keith?”

He sat up, feeling a little dizzy. His hand shot up to his forehead, groaning softly through the dull throbbing pain. He must’ve hit the back of his head, because that’s where the pain radiated from. Lance’s face went from soft to concerned surprisingly fast, his hand reaching out to gently guide Keith back against his pillows.

“What happened?” Keith asked.

“You have no sense of self preservation is what happened,” Lance said, a little more passionately than he intended. Keith quirked an eyebrow in his direction. “At least, that’s what I was told.”

“That sounds about right,” Shiro chuckled. He was walking around the bed now, looking healthier than Keith had seen in weeks. He stopped to put an hand on Lance’s shoulder and smiled at him like they were good friends, “Would you mind if I take it from here? It’s good to see you checking up on Keith like you’ve been checking in on me. Guess you two aren’t fighting anymore?”

Keith grimaced at how cluelessly blunt Shiro could be, but he couldn’t help but sneak a look at Lance’s expression. He didn’t seem to look as awkward about the question as Keith felt, so Keith spoke up to clear the air,

“Yeah, we’re good.”

Lance nodded in agreement, his eyes soft as they met Keith’s for just a few moments before looking away. Keith kept looking though, specifically at the hand on Lance’s shoulder. It felt embarrassing to admit it, but this was the first he was hearing of Lance visiting Shiro in the hospital. All through their petty fight and awkwardness that followed, Lance had been coming here. Was Lance a healer too, or was it just out of kindness that he chose to take time out of his obviously busy schedule to keep Shiro company? Either way, it made Keith’s heart flutter to think about. He made a mental note to ask Shiro about it later.

Shiro patted Lance’s shoulder a few times in relief, “I’m glad to hear it. Now Keith, are you alright?”

Keith looked up at Shiro, suddenly pulled out of his thoughts, “Hmm? Oh, yeah. Just a headache.”

Lance slipped off Keith’s bed towards the doorway, making room for Shiro to take over. When Keith was asleep it felt normal being so close to him, monitoring him worriedly as the others milled about the room. But now as he watched Shiro take over his place next to the Firebender, leaning in to inspect some superficial scrapes on his face, a weird feeling roiled in his gut at the intimacy of it. He had just been that close moments before, but they didn’t have the same history between them as Keith did with Shiro. Still, Keith didn’t seem bothered by it, did he?

He had come rushing from his meeting with head house of the Southern Water Tribe upon hearing of Keith’s accident. Pidge caught him up on the details when he arrived, but it wasn’t until he caught Hunk’s confused expression that he realized he might have overreacted. At least it was a good excuse to get out of a meeting.

Lance sat beside Hunk in the main lobby of the small hospital and let out a long sigh. He and Pidge were in the middle of conversation about their sled, which survived the adventure thanks to Keith heroics. Since it all sounded like nonsense to the water bender, he took a moment to close his eyes.

“So, Keith’s going to live?” Pidge said upon noticing Lance nearby. She had that kind of deadpan tone in her voice that she used when she was mocking him.

“He’s fine.”

“Yeah, and what about you?” she continued. Lance shot her a defensive pout.

“I was just…making sure. He’s…he’s a valuable asset.”

“You could just say ‘friend',” Hunk said in a much more earnest tone than the other. Lance appreciated Hunk for his general neutrality, which allowed him to double down on his glare towards Pidge.

“Yeah, what Hunk said. I would’ve been just as worried if it were one of you.”

Pidge shrugged but the look she gave Lance was calculating. He could tell she was adding things up in her head and he didn’t like it. Probably because he himself couldn’t figure the whirlwind of feelings he was having. After a few moments, Hunk broke the silence to continue scheming the sled 2.0.

. . .

The strange thing about being actual friends with Lance, Keith had decided, was that it took a  _ lot  _ of getting used to, but it was by far the most welcome change in his life.Ever since the sled debacle, Lance had been a near-permanent fixture by his side. Despite what Shiro might say, with a tone of poorly hidden worry in his voice, Keith  _ had  _ had friends before. He had just never had a friend like Lance. Keith wasn’t sure if it was just differences in how they had been raised and where they had grown up, or if Lance really was just a rather odd person. Keith always enjoyed his time with Lance, though he also had to admit that he spent much of it confused.

For example, Lance was now in the habit of stealing Keith’s food. Directly off his plate. The first time it had happened, Lance was telling a story about when he had first been learning to sail when he had just reached over, mid-sentence, and snagged one of Keith’s roasted potato wedges. Keith had been so taken aback he had momentarily forgotten to keep chewing his food, but Lance just went right on with his story, casual as ever. It was like he didn’t even notice what he had done.

While Keith was on the subject of eating together, he realized that now they  _ always  _ ate together. The only times he’d eaten alone in the past few days were times he knew for a fact that Lance was in meetings. Keith hadn’t realized just how observant Lance was, but the other boy seemed to be acutely aware of Keith’s habits. Not only did he know when Keith typically took his meals, but he also knew when Keith liked to go train. Lance had taken to showing up outside Keith’s room in the mornings and walking with him down to the training field so they could practice together. The first day he had shown up, he had looked a little embarrassed, almost shy.

“I...wanted to talk to you about my bending,” he had told Keith, rocking nervously back and forth on the balls of his feet. “So obviously that fight was bad, but it was also kind of good, too. I mean... _ no one  _ has ever pushed me to bend like that. So...I’m assuming you’re heading down to do some training now. And I was hoping it would be alright if I trained with you,” he had told Keith, all in one breath.

“As long as I don’t do the flaming tornadoes?” Keith had replied with a teasing smile, and the way Lance’s face had lit up was priceless. They had trained together every morning since.

The only thing stranger than Lance’s sudden omnipresence in Keith’s life was the fact that Keith didn’t mind it. In fact, Keith was  _ enjoying  _ it. Even counting the time Lance had inexplicably screamed, “Snowball fight!” and then promptly pelted him in the face with packed snow. Lance had a way of putting him at ease, filling any would-be awkward silences with little tidbits about his life and stories about fun things he’d done, without expecting anything from Keith in return. 

Keith knew that he was sometimes a hard person to get to know. He wasn’t like Lance, freely offering up information about himself. He knew how much this tended to frustrate people and put them off, but Lance wasn’t the least bit perturbed. It was...refreshing, honestly, to realize that spending time with Lance didn’t drain him like spending time with people usually did. Lance seemed to have this rare ability to sneak his way past Keith’s walls. Usually, Keith knew that if he let anyone push his boundaries, they’d just keep pressing until Keith had no choice but to shut them out. What Shiro used to assure him was just people ‘taking an interest’ in his life, Keith often viewed as an interrogation. Lance, though, never demanded any answers from him. He had just effortlessly situated himself in Keith’s life without requiring anything from Keith in return. Keith kind of liked it. He thought it was kind of  _ weird  _ how he liked it, since usually realizing he had accidentally let anyone in like that would freak him out and have him pushing them away in a heartbeat, but Lance...Lance was allowed, Keith decided. 

Keith didn’t even mind when Lance came  _ directly _ into his room,  _ unannounced _ , and immediately flopped down on his bed. Keith hastily shoved the glistening blade he had been sharpening into the drawer of his desk before Lance had a chance to see it, practically jumping to his feet in response to the sudden intrusion. Any demands to know what Lance was doing here died on Keith’s lips as Lance just launched into a rant. Keith’s shoulders loosened and he lowered himself back down into his chair, deciding that maybe this was okay, too. 

“They’re  _ still _ not being practical about this! I mean, I can deal with boring meetings if they’re actually productive, but this is just four different people saying the same thing and all refusing to be cooperative!” Lance continued, entirely unaware that he had just set off Keith’s mental trespassing alarms. He groaned and covered his face with his arms. “Being a diplomat is exhausting,” Lance grumbled, his voice muffled. Keith let out a huff and stood up, walking over to the bed and sitting down on the edge of it. 

“Why do you think I’m not a diplomat?” he teased.

“That’s easy, it’s because of the quick temper, resting bitchface, and complete disregard for social graces,” Lance informed him. Keith frowned at him and grabbed a pillow to smack him over the head with. Lance let out a snort of laughter and knocked it away. “Right, and also your tendency towards pillow violence,” he informed Keith. “Don’t worry, I like your lack of social graces,” laughed Lance. Honestly, that was one of his favorite things about Keith. The Firebender was bold and irreverent enough to not even bother treating Lance like he was royalty, which Lance probably  _ should  _ have found disrespectful, but whatever. It was amusing and refreshing, and Lance was endlessly thankful for it.

“Your meetings might be boring, but I do have some good news,” Keith offered. Lance frowned and looked around the room.

“Is it that you’ve hired an interior decorator?” he wondered. Keith frowned at him.

“What? Why would I..?”

“Um, because you’re living in the most boring room in this hemisphere,” Lance said, sitting up and gesturing broadly at the room around him. “Come on, man, don’t you own...y’know,  _ anything?” _

“Do you remember the part where I had to flee my home as a traitor?”

“Okay, fair, but this place seriously looks like no one lives here. I get that it’s Allura’s ship, but she gave you this room, you’re allowed to make it at least a  _ little _ bit more homey. And by that I mean I’m begging you.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Do you want the news or not?”

“Yes, please. Almost as much as I want you to go get yourself a rug.”

“This is more important than rugs,” Keith told him dismissively, and then he gave Lance the widest smile Lance had ever seen on him. “Shiro’s going to be allowed out of the hospital tomorrow!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends, we just wanted to assure everyone that we are still very much working on this story and currently writing part 6! We have, however, been slammed with a major project with a much stricter deadline than this fic. Between that and the internet EATING OUR OUTLINE, things have been a bit slower than we'd like, and for this we apologize, but don't fear for the future of the fic! Updates are coming! Until then, come hang out with us on Tumblr
> 
> [DanceParty's Tumblr](https://senpaiinspace.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  [FlamingBentley's Tumblr](http://fangirlwithanerfgun.tumblr.com/)


End file.
